Stimulus control

How it works

A behavior is fully under stimulus control when four things are true: it happens when the cue is given, it does not happen in the absence of the cue, it does not happen in response to some other cue, and no other behavior happens in response to this cue. Most pet dogs meet the first condition and not the rest, which is why a dog who knows sit will also offer a sit when asked for a down, or sit hopefully at the treat cabinet. It is the standard that separates a behavior the dog can do from a behavior that is genuinely on cue. Reinforcing responses to the cue, and only to the cue, is how it is built.

What it looks like

A dog has learned to spin on cue and now spins whenever they want something. Once spins that were not asked for stop earning anything and cued spins keep paying, the dog spins when asked and offers it much less often otherwise.

Commonly confused with

Cue

A cue is the signal itself. Stimulus control describes how tightly the behavior is tied to that signal, and whether the behavior appears without it.

Related terms