stimulus generalization

stimulus generalization,

a type of conditioning in which the reaction to one stimulus is reinforced to allow transfer of the reaction to other occurrences.

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stimulus

pl. stimuli [L.] any agent, act, or influence that produces functional or trophic reaction in a receptor or an irritable tissue.

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conditioned stimulus

a neutral object or event that is psychologically related to a naturally stimulating object or event and which causes a conditioned response. See also conditioning.

discriminative stimulus

a stimulus associated with reinforcement, which exerts control over a particular form of behavior; the subject discriminates between closely related stimuli and responds positively only in the presence of that stimulus.

eliciting stimulus

any stimulus, conditioned or unconditioned, which elicits a response.

stimulus generalization

in learning by animals stimuli tend to be grouped together, the reactions lacking the discrimination of the higher mammals.

stimulus response coupling

coupling of the neural or endocrine stimulus to the cellular response.

structured stimulus

a well-organized and unambiguous stimulus, the perception of which is influenced to a greater extent by the characteristics of the stimulus than by those of the perceiver.

threshold stimulus

a stimulus that is just strong enough to elicit a response.

unconditioned stimulus

any stimulus that is capable of eliciting an unconditioned response. See also conditioning.

unstructured stimulus

an unclear or ambiguous stimulus, the perception of which is influenced to a greater extent by the characteristics of the perceiver than by those of the stimulus.