Question

Which of the following is a similarity between discrimination training and generalization?

1) The conditioned stimulus that originally formed the contingency shows the greatest conditioned response.
2) The unconditioned stimuli no longer predict the unconditioned responses in either discrimination training or generalization.
3) All conditioned stimuli, with the exception of the conditioned stimulus that originally formed the contingency, may undergo extinction trials, resulting in extinction.
4) Conditioned stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus that originally formed the contingency show very mild conditioned responses.

Answer 1

Both discrimination training and generalization relate to how similar stimuli can influence conditioned responses. Discrimination involves specific responses to a conditioned stimulus, while generalization shows weaker responses to stimuli that resemble the conditioned stimulus.

Step-by-step explanation:

The similarity between discrimination training and generalization in the context of conditioned responses is that in both cases, stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus can influence the strength of the conditioned response. In discrimination training, an organism learns to respond to a specific stimulus and not to other similar stimuli; hence, only the conditioned stimulus that has been consistently paired with the unconditioned stimulus elicits a strong conditioned response, while similar stimuli do not. In generalization, the organism shows conditioned responses to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus, but typically these responses are less strong than to the conditioned stimulus itself. The more similar a stimulus is to the original conditioned stimulus, the more likely it is to evoke a conditioned response, although these responses might be weaker compared to the response to the conditioned stimulus itself.