{"id":29912,"date":"2025-09-27T09:25:43","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T09:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cozydogspaces.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/27\/self-control-impulse-control-and-stimulus-control-widening-the-conversation\/"},"modified":"2025-09-27T09:25:43","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T09:25:43","slug":"self-control-impulse-control-and-stimulus-control-widening-the-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cozydogspaces.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/27\/self-control-impulse-control-and-stimulus-control-widening-the-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-Control, Impulse Control, and Stimulus Control: Widening the Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"


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In the photo above, Clara is waiting to grab the toy, which I have been moving around with the flirt pole. She will grab it when I give the release cue. Does this demonstrate 1) impulse control; or 2) stimulus control?<\/p>\n

Answer: both. Keep reading.<\/p>\n

I get it. The terms \u201cimpulse control\u201d and \u201cself-control\u201d don\u2019t sound good to positive reinforcement-based trainers. They sound blame-y. \u201cMy dog shouldn\u2019t have grabbed that cheese off the counter; he should have had more self-control.\u201d \u201cDid you see her jump at that tug and almost bite my hand? She needs to learn impulse control!\u201d<\/p>\n

These terms seem to leave behavior science behind and label the dog. They seem to relate to negative character traits or internal states that we can\u2019t know (but don\u2019t like the results of). People claim they don\u2019t have a definition in behavior science.<\/p>\n

But guess what? They do! They have a specific definition in behavior science, well operationalized, with a long history of study. And there is no blame, no fictional narrative implied.<\/strong> The Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior<\/em> and other journals have a wealth of articles on self-control and impulse control.<\/p>\n

For the rest of this piece, I will use the term \u201cself-control\u201d to cover Impulse control as well. They overlap in definition (Cooper et al., 2007, p. 16).<\/p>\n

This is just the kind of thing I like to tackle, but I always hesitate and consider the implications. Am I nitpicking? Maybe, but I believe there is value in acknowledging a field of study that seems to be little known, and acknowledging the nuances in both concepts. So let\u2019s start with definitions.<\/p>\n

Definitions and Examples of Self-Control<\/h2>\n

Here is a definition of self-control from the literature of applied behavior analysis.<\/p>\n

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Self-control [is] exemplified by choosing a large delayed reinforcer rather than a small immediate one . . . \u2014 Grosch & Neuringer, 1981<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a straightforward scientific definition. Behaviors that fit this definition can be observed and operationalized.<\/p>\n

But the term \u201cself-control\u201d unfortunately has the same issue as \u201cpunishment.\u201d The behavior analytic definition is different from the more common usage. Worse, it also differs from the definition in psychology. But we don\u2019t stop using the word punishment; we take the time to explain. We can do that for \u201cself-control.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cooper et al. mention two definitions of self-control. One relates to the Grosch & Neuringer definition above. The other was defined and used by Skinner (1953). I\u2019ll discuss that definition in a short section near the end of this piece.<\/p>\n

Here is a definition from the field of psychology: \u201cThe ability to resist an impulse, desire, or temptation and to regulate its translation into action\u201d (APA dictionary). This definition has become the lay understanding of the term. But with its abstractions about internal states, there is nothing useful in it for the applied study of behavior.<\/p>\n

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There is a good paper about the operationalization of \u201cself-control\u201d that defines it in opposition to the psychology definition<\/a>. Here\u2019s a quotation from it:<\/p>\n

. . . it is more appropriate to measure choice making behaviors. It has been described that the\u00a0impulsive\u00a0choice is selected when the participant chooses the smaller, more immediate\u00a0reinforcer. The choice is deemed to be a self-controlled choice if the participant chooses the larger, more delayed reinforcer over a smaller, immediate reinforcer. As a result, the\u00a0abstraction\u00a0that\u00a0self-control\u00a0is a\u00a0private event\u00a0is minimized, if not eliminated. Instead, only the choices that are made and observed are considered within the definition.<\/strong> \u2014 McKeel & Dixon, 2014 (added bold mine)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In training, the definition of self-control applies to certain skills we teach. Lack of self-control is not a character trait or a label. Nor is it a pathology; it covers a lot of ordinary dog (and human) behavior.<\/p>\n

Self-control behaviors can be operationalized when we know our species and our individual. In the photo at the top, I had moved a toy very close to Clara. Being a dog (species) who likes to play with a toy by grabbing, biting, and pulling (species\/individual), her likely behavior would be to grab it. But rather than the moving toy being the cue for a grab, my release cue is the cue for it. (If you think that\u2019s relevant to stimulus control, you\u2019re right. But let\u2019s wait before getting further into it.)<\/p>\n

Waiting gets her the larger, delayed reward, rather than the immediate, smaller one. The delayed reward is more intense because I have created a history that I will play with her heartily if she waits. She has learned self-control behaviors that help the game be safer for me and still fun for her.<\/p>\n

Self-control behaviors have been studied in many species. Check out the references for an interesting article about cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis<\/em>) performing self-control behavior (Schnell et al., 2021).<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s an article about self-control in the toutouwai (Petroica longipes<\/em>), a songbird from Aotearoa (McCallum & Shaw, 2024).<\/p>\n

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Definitions and Examples of Stimulus Control<\/h2>\n

While self-control is straightforward and simple to operationalize, stimulus control is a complex topic. Behavior science books generally have a large section or whole chapter on the topic.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve made a handy list of definitions of stimulus control<\/a> from 12 textbooks in case that\u2019s helpful to anyone else.<\/p>\n

Here is a definition I like:<\/p>\n

A behavior is said to be under stimulus control when there is an increased probability that the behavior will occur in the presence of a specific antecedent stimulus or a stimulus from a specific stimulus class. \u2014 Miltenberger, 2008, p. 145<\/p>\n

Although the definitions use specific wording, the concept seems so abstract. At least one textbook I checked says that stimulus control is used as a label (Mayer et al., 2019, p. 326), a common criticism of the term self-control in the dog training world.<\/p>\n

The stock phrases in the dog world have not helped. Many people, including me, have defined stimulus control by listing some \u201crules\u201d about it that are training guidelines. These rules don\u2019t comprise the definition. You can read them in this old post of mine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m going to give some examples of the use of the term stimulus control, because that\u2019s been the easiest way for me to have a beginning understanding of it.<\/p>\n

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What is the stimulus that is influencing Zani to rise onto her hind legs and sniff?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

A friend who is an excellent trainer and works in applied behavior analysis posted a video I liked. It shows how she taught her dog to find an item by scent. In the description, she mentions the period when the \u201cstimulus control of the behavior of approaching the item switches from the sight of it to the odor of it.\u201d <\/p>\n

At first, the discriminative stimulus for the behavior of approaching the object is it appearing in the dog\u2019s field of vision. Then, as the trainer starts to put the item farther away and out of sight, at some point the dog starts using his nose. The discriminative stimulus is now the odor (although the sight of the item can remain a factor for visible items). We can observe the change in his behavior: he is now sniffing, whereas before he appeared mainly to be looking.<\/p>\n

But doesn\u2019t have to be just one stimulus. Many behaviors are under the control of multiple stimuli. Paul Chance says:<\/p>\n

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Sometimes stimulus control is exerted not by a single stimulus but by a complex array of stimuli that, collectively, influence behavior. We behave differently at a formal ball than we do at a square dance, and behavior that would be acceptable at a beach party is unacceptable at a dinner party. \u2014 Chance, 2003, p. 84<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

For another example involving dogs, think of the stimulus of time of day and how often that pairs with other stimuli to signal the availability of reinforcement. If I go pick up my dog\u2019s food toy when it\u2019s not time for a meal, he may keep an eye on me, but he won\u2019t jump up and perform \u201cgetting ready to eat\u201d behaviors. But if I pick it up at his usual breakfast time, the time of day plus picking up the toy together comprise an excellent prediction of an imminent meal. Either one of those by itself is a much weaker predictor.<\/p>\n

And for my example at the beginning with Clara, when I taught Clara a self-control behavior (waiting until cued to grab the toy) I changed the stimulus control from the movement of the toy to my cue.<\/p>\n

The \u201cControl\u201d Part of Stimulus Control<\/h2>\n

Since behavior relies on probabilities, control is perhaps not the best word, but it\u2019s the one we\u2019ve got. I agree with Dr. Susan Friedman\u2019s suggestion of the term \u201cstimulus influence,\u201d which loses the negative connotations of \u201ccontrol\u201d and the idea that control is absolute. Pierce and Cheney\u2019s definition (2017, p. 171) includes that \u201cA controlling stimulus (S) is said to alter the probability<\/strong> of an operant.\u201d (added bold mine)<\/p>\n

Skinner and Self-Control<\/h2>\n
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Skinner used the term \u201cself-control\u201d to describe what we might call \u201cself-management\u201d (1953, Chapter XV Self-Control, p. 227\u2013241). He wrote of arranging stimuli ahead of time to encourage a certain behavior in oneself later.<\/p>\n

Here are some modern examples. If I decided to cut sugary snacks from my diet, an early step might be for me to remove all such snacks from my house. And if I wanted to decrease a fast-food habit, I might start food prepping or buy a bunch of easy-to-prepare frozen meals. These actions would fall into Skinner\u2019s category of \u201cself-control.\u201d We would call them antecedent arrangements. It\u2019s interesting, because they would not fall into the popular definition of self-control at all. We\u2019d say such actions were removing<\/em> the necessity of self-control. An example of the popular definition of self-control would be the ability to have the snacks in the house and not<\/em> eat them.<\/p>\n

Are Self-Control and Stimulus Control Opposites?<\/h2>\n

I have seen claims that these two concepts that apply to behavior are opposites in effect or implication. I don\u2019t agree. This claim depends on using the psychology definition of self-control rather than the behavior analysis one. The latter is operationalizable, and does not oppose or conflict with the concept of stimulus control at all. <\/p>\n

I understand the reasons not to use the terms self-control and impulse control. The standard definitions have baggage we don\u2019t want to carry into positive reinforcement-based training. There are situations where it may be best \u201cnot to go there.\u201d But keep in mind, self-control behaviors can be described and classified, there need be no moral judgment attached, and a trainer need not rely on aversive techniques to teach them.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2025 Eileen Anderson<\/em><\/p>\n

References<\/h2>\n