A dog wags its tail whenever it sees its master. If this is a learned response, what would the dog have to do in order to demonstrate stimulus generalization?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To tackle this question, let's break down what stimulus generalization means in a learning context and then evaluate each option.
Option 1: 'wag its tail when it sees someone who looks similar to its master' This aligns with stimulus generalization. The dog responds not only to the exact stimulus (the master) but also to stimuli that resemble it (similar-looking people). This demonstrates the learned response spreading to a broader, similar cue, which is the essence of generalization.
Option 2: 'continue wagging its tail for some time after its master has left' This describes a persistence of the response beyond the conditioned cue, which could be related to short-term memory or residual responding, but it is not about applying the learned response to a similar stimulus. It reflects extinction-related processes or a temporary carryover, not generalization.
Option 3: 'bark when it seems someone other than its master' Here the dog is responding differently to a non-master cue, which would be more like discrimination (the ability to distinguish between similar stimuli and respond only to the conditioned one) rather than generalization. This shows a narrowing of the generalization gradient, not an expansion.
Option 4: 'wag its tail more than usual if it has not seen its master for a long time' This scenario involves an intensity change in response due to a motivational state (hunger for contact, longing), not the application of a learned response to new, similar stimuli. It does not illustrate generalization across stimuli.
In summary, the option that best captures stimulus generalization is the dog reacting to a similar-looking individual as if it were the master, since the generalization extends the conditioned response to similar cues rather than to the exact cue or to unrelated changes in motivation or timing.

PSY 1001 (001) Exam 2

A dog wags its tail whenever it sees its master. If this is a learned response, what would the dog have to do in order to demonstrate stimulus generalization?

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