What term is the ability to differentiate between stimuli and respond appropriately?

What term is the ability to differentiate between stimuli and respond appropriately?

• A. Stimulus Discrimination
• B. Stimulus Generalization
• C. Rule-Governed Behavior
• D. Contingency-Shaped Behavior

Answer: (A)

Stimulus discrimination is the ability to differentiate between stimuli and respond appropriately. It happens when a behavior is reinforced in the presence of one stimulus but not in the presence of others, so the organism learns to emit the appropriate response only to the distinguishing cue. For example, a dog learns to salivate to a specific tone that predicts food and not to tones that don’t predict food. Stimulus generalization would be when similar stimuli produce the same response, which is the opposite of discrimination. Rule-governed behavior involves following verbal rules about contingencies, while contingency-shaped behavior is guided directly by consequences. So, the term described is stimulus discrimination.

Stimulus discrimination is the ability to differentiate between stimuli and respond appropriately. It happens when a behavior is reinforced in the presence of one stimulus but not in the presence of others, so the organism learns to emit the appropriate response only to the distinguishing cue. For example, a dog learns to salivate to a specific tone that predicts food and not to tones that don’t predict food. Stimulus generalization would be when similar stimuli produce the same response, which is the opposite of discrimination. Rule-governed behavior involves following verbal rules about contingencies, while contingency-shaped behavior is guided directly by consequences. So, the term described is stimulus discrimination.