social learning theory, social psychology, and social cognition.
Examples of the translation from basic operant
conditioning to the clinical arena include discriminative
stimuli, contingent positive and negative reinforcements,
extinction, reinforcement schedules, errorless learning,
and rule-governed behavior. For instance, discriminative
stimuli in the laboratory are signals or events that indicate
the availability of positive reinforcement if particular
behavioral responses are made by the organism. Transformed
in the social skills training venue, discriminative
stimuli encompass the therapist’s prompting, cueing,
instructing, and coaching the patient, while the latter is
practicing improved social behaviors. Because these instructional
ploys increase the likelihood of more skillful
social performance, they are associated with positive reinforcement
contingent upon improved communication.
Applications of social learning theory to the acquisition
of instrumental skills include the use of modeling and
other modes of observational learning. Whether directly
trained or through vicarious approaches, when individuals
are reinforced by achieving interpersonal goals, their
likelihood of initiating future social communications is
increased