Counterconditioning

Counterconditioning (also called stimulus substitution) is functional analytic principle that is part of behavior analysis, and involves the conditioning of an unwanted behavior or response to a stimulus into a wanted behavior or response by the association of positive actions with the stimulus.[1] For example, when training a dog, a person would create a positive response by petting or calming the dog when the dog reacts anxiously or nervously to a stimulus. Therefore, this will associate the positive response with the stimulus.[2]

  1. ^ Gerrig, Richard J. & Philip G. Zimbardo (2002). Psychology And Life. Pearson Education.
  2. ^ Blaisdell, Aaron E.; James C. Denniston; Hernan I. Savastano; Ralph R. Miller (2000). "Counterconditioning of an Overshadowed Cue Attenuates Overshadowing" (PDF). Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes. 26 (1). The American Psychological Association, Inc.: 74–86. doi:10.1037/0097-7403.26.1.74. PMID 10650545. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-25.