Stimulus Control occurs when a behavior is modified—either in frequency, latency, duration, or intensity—by the presence or absence of a particular stimulus. This means the behavior is more likely to occur when the controlling stimulus is present and less likely to occur when it is absent.
Example
A child learns to stop at a red light and go at a green light. The red and green lights control the child’s behavior of stopping and going, demonstrating stimulus control. The behavior of stopping or going changes based on the presence of the corresponding stimulus.