Which term refers to the ability to distinguish between different stimuli, leading to specific responses?

The ability to distinguish between different stimuli, leading to specific responses, is aptly described by the term stimulus discrimination. This concept is fundamental in classical conditioning, where an organism learns to respond differently to various stimuli that may be similar but are distinctly different in terms of reinforcement or response. For example, if an animal is conditioned to respond to a certain tone that is paired with food, stimulus discrimination occurs when the animal learns to respond only to that specific tone and not to other similar sounds.

In contrast, stimulus generalization refers to the tendency to respond in the same way to different but similar stimuli, which is the opposite of discrimination. Conditioned response describes the learned reaction that occurs due to the association established during conditioning, and an unconditioned response refers to an innate reaction that occurs automatically in response to an unconditioned stimulus, without prior conditioning. Therefore, the ability to make fine distinctions between stimuli—leading to particular responses—is precisely what defines stimulus discrimination.