Discrimination Learning and Stimulus control (in Rats) - Research Paper Example

Discrimination Learning and Stimulus control Discrimination Learning and Stimulus control The objective of this paper is to differentiate between discrimination learning and generalisation, and describe stimulus control and its importance. Discrimination learning is the act by which animals and human beings respond differently to different situations (Pearce et al., 2008). For example, a person can decide to tell his or her friends how his or her parents have been unfaithful. However, he or she may not be able to tell the same story in the church.

How people choose to react at different places depend on their past experiences (Skinner, 2010). On the other hand, generalisation occurs when two different situations result in the same response based on contingencies of reinforcement (Pearce et al. 2008). For example, when a child sees a dog in a book, then the child says “ a cat”, however if the same child sees a cow in the street, then the child says “a cat”, then that is referred to as generalisation. One characteristic of the process of conditioning, is its ability to lean towards generalisation.

However, when in instances where a conditional reflex is first established then it is not responsible for eliciting the response. In connection to this, generalisation is concerned with two stimulus S1and S2. These stimulus are almost the same but also differ in a significant way. For example, two bulbs in which one is bright and the other one is dull (Skinner, 2010). In an experiment to determine the difference between inhibitory and excitatory generalisation, and if it can be used to understand how animals solve complex patterns, Pearce et al. (2008) used pigeons to try and understand the concept.

A modification was also made to try and understand, whether animals pay more attention to issues which are relevant or not. The results which were obtained supported the fact that stimuli is based on visual patterns and not plain colours. These changes in attention was as a result of preliminary exposure act as described by Spence and it was not because of central changes (Pearce et al., 2008). Stimulus control on the other hand, can be said to be the way animals or human beings behave in a presence of a stimuli (Brown et al., 2005). For example, when a driver sees a stop sign, there a likely hood that a braking activity will take place.

These behaviours are brought about by reinforcing the behaviour in presence of stimuli. In an experiment to determine the spatial discrimination in juvenile rats (Brown et al., 2005), four experiments was set up using a T-maze and a mesh. The authors found out that post natal ontogeny was critical in conditional discrimination. In connection to this, they overruled the importance of conditional cue salience (Brown et al., 2005). Stimulus control is very important because it helps in studying human beings behaviour, for example, when a student is given an assignment to do at home.

It is very interesting to note how the student behaves when he or she gets home. In most instances, the student will get at home, put his or bag down, go to the kitchen, eat some food then watch television. In conclusion, discrimination learning and stimulus control plays a critical role in determining our behaviours. In connection to this, it help us to understand how we react to different situations.ReferencesSkinner, B. F. (2010). The Rate of Establishment of a Discrimination. The journal of general psychology, 2, 302-350. Doi: 10.1080/00221309.1933.9920939.

Brown, Kevin L., Pagani, Jerome, H., & Stanton, Mark E. (2005). Spatial conditional discrimination learning in developing rats. Developmental psychobiology, 46 (2), 97-110. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dev.20044/abstract. Pearce, John M., Esber, Guillem R. & George, David N. (2008). The nature of discrimination learning in pigeons. Learning and Behaviour, 36 (3), 188-199. Doi: 10.3758/LB.36.3.188