The case of Moisha, a cancer patient, illustrates stimulus generalization in humans. Her conditioned response of nausea, originally linked to her specific oncologist's office, was generalized to similar environments. As a result, she would feel ill when visiting other oncologists or even other medical offices within the same building.

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Stimulus generalization occurs when an organism elicits a conditioned response to stimuli that are similar, but not identical, to the original conditioned stimulus. This process is the opposite of stimulus discrimination. The likelihood of the conditioned response appearing is proportional to the similarity between the new stimulus and the conditioned stimulus; the more alike they are, the stronger the response.

Stimulus Generalization

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Example of Stimulus Generalization: Moisha the Cancer Patient

An example of stimulus generalization can be seen with a cat named Tiger, who is conditioned to run for food at the sound of an electric can opener. If a different appliance, like an electric mixer, produces a sound very similar to the can opener, Tiger might generalize the stimulus and run for food upon hearing the mixer as well.

Example of Stimulus Generalization: Tiger the Cat

A toddler is conditioned to feel happy at the sound of the ice cream truck's jingle because it signals that a sweet treat is coming. Which of the following scenarios best demonstrates that the toddler's learned response has generalized?

An example of stimulus generalization involves a cat named Tiger. If an electric mixer sounds very similar to an electric can opener (the conditioned stimulus), Tiger may come running after hearing the mixer's sound, demonstrating a conditioned response to a similar stimulus.

Stimulus Generalization of Tiger the Cat

An example of stimulus generalization involves a patient named Moisha. She continued to feel ill whenever visiting other oncologists or other doctors in the same building as her oncologist, demonstrating a conditioned response to stimuli similar to the original conditioned stimulus.

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