Generalization

Question 1

Generalization

Answer 1

The tendency for a behavior to occur in situations different from the one in which the behavior was learned

Question 2

Stimulus generalization

Answer 2

Is mistaking a SIMILAR stimulus for the one you have learned to respond to

Question 3

Discrimination

Answer 3

The tendency for a behavior to occur in situations that closely resemble the one in which the behavior was learned, but not in situations that differ from it

• It is the opposite of generalization

Question 4

Discrimination Training
(Pavlov)

Answer 4

1. Pavlov would expose his dogs to the sound of a bell (CS+) and then pair with food (UCS).
2. To foster discrimination, he would also generate the sound of a buzzer (CS-) but would NOT pair it with food.
3. When the dog learned only to salivate (CR/UCR) in response to the bell, discrimination training was complete.

Question 5

Discrimination Training
(Skinner)

Answer 5

Skinner would train his rats to recognize that they would ONLY receive a food pellet when the light (S+) was turned on (discriminative stimulus).

• Pressing the lever without a light (S-) would NOT be reinforced

He made this MUCH more complicated and different discriminative stimuli would signal different reinforcement schedules.
- Blinking light = fixed ratio
- Solid light = variable ratio

Question 6

Stimulus control

Answer 6

If an animal or human has learned to properly discriminate, then we say their behavior is under “stimulus control.”

Examples :
- ALL of us are under stimulus control when we drive (think of the traffic lights and how we associate specific colors)

Question 7

Stimulus Generalization Example (Pavlov)

Answer 7

Pavlov trained dogs to respond to the sound of a tuning fork, but he noticed that when he used a different pitch fork, the dogs still responded

• They had to LEARN which specific sound they were supposed to react to

Question 8

Generalization Example (Maurice)

Answer 8

Maurice (2005) noted that Inuit sled dogs mistook a little boy for a seal (he was pretending to hunt seals and was lying on an ice flow) and killed him

Question 9

Generalization in Real Life

Answer 9

Stereotypes are perhaps the best example of generalization!

• We assume all “x group members” are the same.