Which principle allows the classification of response behaviors to change due to external stimuli?

The principle that allows the classification of response behaviors to change due to external stimuli is rooted in stimulus control. This concept revolves around the idea that certain behaviors are influenced or controlled by specific antecedent stimuli. When a particular stimulus is present, it can prompt certain behaviors to occur; conversely, the absence of that stimulus can lead to a decrease or cessation in those behaviors.

For example, if a child learns to raise their hand in class only when the teacher looks in their direction, their response behavior (raising the hand) is directly controlled by the stimulus (the teacher's gaze). This relationship highlights how external stimuli can effectively shape and modify behavior in a predictable manner.

While operant conditioning also involves changes in behavior based on stimuli, it focuses more on the reinforcement or punishment aspects that follow a behavior rather than directly on the stimuli that precede it. Respondent behavior relates primarily to involuntary responses to stimuli, such as reflexive reactions, rather than learned behaviors influenced by external factors. Emotional responses are a form of behavior but do not primarily illustrate the classification of behaviors in response to stimuli in a systematic way as stimulus control does.