In classical conditioning, which feature describes responding differently to similar stimuli?

In classical conditioning, which feature describes responding differently to similar stimuli?

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

Answer: (B)

Discrimination is the ability to respond differently to similar stimuli after learning. In classical conditioning, this means the organism learns that only a specific cue predicts the outcome while other similar cues do not. For example, if a tone at one pitch reliably predicts food, the subject will respond to that exact tone but not to tones that are close but not identical. This selective responding contrasts with generalization, where similar cues elicit similar responses. Extinction is the gradual loss of the response when the cue is no longer paired with the outcome, and spontaneous recovery is the return of a previously extinguished response after a rest. So the feature described is discrimination because it captures differentiating between cues that signal the outcome and those that do not.

Discrimination is the ability to respond differently to similar stimuli after learning. In classical conditioning, this means the organism learns that only a specific cue predicts the outcome while other similar cues do not. For example, if a tone at one pitch reliably predicts food, the subject will respond to that exact tone but not to tones that are close but not identical. This selective responding contrasts with generalization, where similar cues elicit similar responses. Extinction is the gradual loss of the response when the cue is no longer paired with the outcome, and spontaneous recovery is the return of a previously extinguished response after a rest. So the feature described is discrimination because it captures differentiating between cues that signal the outcome and those that do not.