Which of the following is an example of stimulus discrimination in classical conditioning?

• A. A dog salivates to both a bell and a whistle after being conditioned with a bell.
• B. A dog stops salivating when the bell is repeatedly presented without food.
• C. A dog salivates to the sight of its food bowl even without food present.
• D. A dog salivates only to the sound of a specific bell and not to other similar sounds.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of stimulus discrimination in classical conditioning, which occurs when an organism learns to respond only to a specific conditioned stimulus and not to other similar stimuli.
2. Identify the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the unconditioned stimulus (US) in the scenario. For example, the bell sound is the CS, and the food is the US that naturally elicits salivation.
3. Recognize that stimulus generalization happens when the organism responds to stimuli similar to the CS, such as salivating to both a bell and a whistle, which is not discrimination.
4. Note that extinction occurs when the CS is presented repeatedly without the US, leading to a decrease in the conditioned response, which is different from discrimination.
5. Conclude that stimulus discrimination is demonstrated when the dog salivates only to the specific bell sound it was conditioned with and does not respond to other similar sounds, showing selective responding.