An S-Delta (S∆) is a stimulusStimulus is defined as any change in the environment or form of energy that affects an organism’s behavior or physiological state. Stimuli can be external or internal, and they can el... More in the presence of which a specific behaviorBehavior refers to any activity or action that living organisms engage in, which can be observed, measured, and analyzed. It encompasses all interactions an organism has with its environment, inc... More will not be reinforced. It signals to the learner that a particular responseA response is a single occurrence or instance of a behavior. It refers to a specific action or behavior that happens at a particular moment in time. Example A teacher asks a s... More will not result in reinforcementReinforcement is a fundamental concept in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and behavioral psychology. It refers to any consequence that follows a behavior and increases the likelihood that the behavior... More, indicating that the behavior is not appropriate or effectiveEffective refers to one of the seven dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which emphasizes that interventions should result in meaningful and significant changes in ... More in that context.
Example
If a child asks for candy when a parent is in the kitchen and typically receives the candy, the presence of the parent in the kitchen acts as a discriminative stimulus (SD) for requesting candy. However, if the child asks for candy when the parent is reading in the living room and never gets candy in that situation, the parent in the living room becomes the S-Delta for requesting candy, signaling that the behavior will not be reinforced in that context.