Which description best captures stimulus discrimination?

Which description best captures stimulus discrimination?

• A. Stimulus Discrimination
• B. Stimulus Generalization
• C. Extinction
• D. Spontaneous Recovery

Answer: (B)

Stimulus discrimination is the ability to respond to one specific cue while not responding to other, similar cues. It happens when reinforcement is tied to a particular stimulus and closely related stimuli do not produce the same response, so the learner learns to distinguish between them. For example, a dog may salivate to a 1000 Hz tone but not to tones that are slightly different. This sharpens the response to the exact cue and reduces responses to others. In contrast, stimulus generalization would mean responding to a range of similar cues, not just the exact one. The description that fits discrimination emphasizes focusing on the specific stimulus and ignoring similar ones.

Stimulus discrimination is the ability to respond to one specific cue while not responding to other, similar cues. It happens when reinforcement is tied to a particular stimulus and closely related stimuli do not produce the same response, so the learner learns to distinguish between them. For example, a dog may salivate to a 1000 Hz tone but not to tones that are slightly different. This sharpens the response to the exact cue and reduces responses to others. In contrast, stimulus generalization would mean responding to a range of similar cues, not just the exact one. The description that fits discrimination emphasizes focusing on the specific stimulus and ignoring similar ones.