Which of the following is an example of stimulus generalization having survival value?

• A. A dog that only salivates to the exact sound of its owner's whistle and not to any other similar sounds.
• B. A child who learns to fear only one specific dog after being bitten, but not other dogs.
• C. A bird that avoids eating all brightly colored insects after becoming ill from eating one poisonous brightly colored insect.
• D. A rat that presses a lever only when a red light is on, but ignores levers with any other color.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of stimulus generalization: it occurs when a response that has been conditioned to a specific stimulus is elicited by stimuli that are similar but not identical to the original stimulus.
2. Identify the survival value aspect: stimulus generalization can be beneficial if it helps an organism avoid danger or increase chances of survival by responding to a range of similar stimuli, not just one specific one.
3. Analyze each option to see if the response extends beyond the original stimulus to similar stimuli, indicating generalization rather than discrimination (responding only to the exact stimulus).
4. Recognize that the example where a bird avoids all brightly colored insects after being poisoned by one brightly colored insect shows stimulus generalization with survival value, as the bird generalizes the avoidance to all similar stimuli to prevent harm.
5. Conclude that this example demonstrates how stimulus generalization can help an organism adaptively avoid threats, which is the key to understanding the survival value of this psychological phenomenon.