Final answer:
An error in stimulus discrimination training occurs when an organism cannot distinguish between similar stimuli, responding to non-conditioned stimuli as if they were the conditioned stimulus. This is relevant in situations such as Pavlov's dogs reacting to the wrong sounds or a cat mistaking the mixer's noise for the can opener, and can also be affected by motivation, as illustrated by signal detection theory.
Step-by-step explanation:
An error in stimulus discrimination training refers to an instance where an organism fails to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and other similar but non-conditioned stimuli, thus resulting in an inappropriate conditioned response. This concept is part of the broader subject of learning theory within psychology and involves the process whereby animals, including humans, learn to respond differently to various stimuli. For example, if Pavlov's dogs were to salivate in response to a doorbell rather than the specific tone of the bell they were conditioned to, it would represent an error in stimulus discrimination. Similarly, if a cat named Tiger were to respond to the sound of an electric mixer as if it were the sound of a can opener, anticipating food, this too would illustrate a failure in stimulus discrimination.
The concept of stimulus discrimination is vital not only in classical conditioning but also in operant conditioning and behavior shaping. In the context of behavior modification techniques used by animal trainers, it is crucial for an organism to learn to differentiate between the target stimulus that is meant to elicit a specific response and other irrelevant stimuli.
Signal detection theory also touches on the concepts of motivation and perception, which can influence an individual's ability to discriminate between a true stimulus and background noise. Thus, errors in stimulus discrimination can occur due to increased motivation to detect a particular stimulus, sometimes leading to false detections or misinterpretations of sensory information.