Stimulus control depends on the subjective value of the outcome
Reinforcer quality, not just reliability, boosts stimulus control—so spotlight the best reward when you teach new cues.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Cowie et al. (2020) worked with pigeons in a lab.
The birds chose between two keys. Each key led to a different food reward.
One reward was signaled as better than the other. The team watched which key the birds pecked.
What they found
The pigeons moved toward the key that promised the higher-value food.
The signal of "good stuff coming" pulled their behavior even when the chance of food stayed the same.
Value, not just reliability, steered stimulus control.
How this fits with other research
Iwata (1993) showed pigeons track overall reinforcement rates across time. Cowie adds that the worth of the prize also counts.
Alvarez et al. (1998) found local cues drive choice. Cowie extends this: when those cues mark a tastier outcome, control gets even stronger.
Dougherty et al. (1996) proved delay difference governs choice. Cowie keeps delay fixed and shows value can still shift preference, so value and delay work as separate levers.
Why it matters
Pick the client’s top reinforcer before you pair it with a cue. A highly preferred item will grab stimulus control faster than a so-so one, even if both are delivered on the same schedule.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Stimuli that provide information about likely future reinforcers tend to shift behavior, provided a reliable relation between the stimulus and the reinforcer can be discriminated. Stimuli that are apparently more reliable exert greater control over behavior. We asked how the subjective value (measured in terms of preference) of reinforcers associated with stimuli influences stimulus control. Five pigeons worked on a concurrent chains procedure in which half of all trials ended in a smaller reinforcer sooner, and the other half in a larger reinforcer later. In Signaled trials, the color and flash duration on the keys in the initial link signaled the outcome of the trial. In Conflicting probe trials, the color and the flash duration signaled conflicting information about the outcome of the trial. Choice in Signaled trials shifted toward the signaled outcome, but was never exclusive. In Conflicting probe trials, control was divided idiosyncratically between the 2 stimulus dimensions, but still favored the outcome with the higher subjective value. Thus, stimulus control depends not only on the perceived reliability of stimuli, but also on the subjective value of the outcome.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 2020 · doi:10.1002/jeab.622