May 6, 2012
stimulus generalisation and discrimination
Stimulus generalisation: occurs when stimuli that are similar to the original stimulus also elicit the CR. The new stimulus was not paired with the UCS! ex: one of Pavlov's dogs, conditioned to a low-pitched tone, also responded to a high-pitched tone ex: a young boy is bitten by his neighbour's dog - he becomes afraid and runs away whenever he sees a dog Stimulus discrimination: the ability to distinguish between two similar stimuli ex: students have different responses to the sounds of classroom bells, cell phones, and doorbells. ex: gardeners demonstrate stimulus discrimination when weeding - they respond differently to weeds and to flowers
