Final answer:
Thinking, under the behaviorist perspective, is considered to be susceptible to conditioning and thus can come under stimulus control. Behaviorists view thoughts as behaviors that are influenced by reinforcements, punishments, and stimuli, shaped by the laws of effect, operant conditioning, stimulus discrimination, and generalization.
Step-by-step explanation:
Does Thinking Come Under Stimulus Control?
Indeed, thinking can come under stimulus control in the realm of psychology, specifically within the behaviorist framework. Behaviorists, such as John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner, posited that all behaviors, including cognitive activities like thinking, can be conditioned responses to environmental stimuli. Watson believed that psychology should focus on observable behaviors rather than internal mental processes, which cannot be seen or measured. However, another behaviorist, Edward C. Tolman, introduced the concept that organisms can learn without immediate reinforcement, suggesting a cognitive component to behavior that extends beyond simple stimulus-response relationships.
Operant conditioning, a concept introduced by Skinner, explains how behaviors are shaped by reinforcements and punishments. Skinner's theory is rooted in the law of effect, which proposes that behaviors followed by satisfying outcomes are more likely to recur, and those followed by unpleasant outcomes are less likely to be repeated. Moreover, behaviorists also discuss concepts like stimulus generalization and stimulus discrimination, which describe an organism's response to stimuli that are similar or different to the conditioning stimulus.
The determinist view in behaviorism suggests that once the conditioning stimuli (the 'buttons') are known, an appropriate response can be elicited by 'pushing' these buttons. Thinking, as a form of behavior, can be influenced by these principles wherein certain thoughts may be more likely to occur following particular stimuli that have been associated with those thoughts in the past.