ABSTRACT
When a stimulus exerts control over a response, we say that the individual is showing a discrimination or that the individual is discriminating between that stimulus and other stimuli. Stimulus discriminations vary in sharpness and breadth; that is, they may range from fine to gross discriminations between stimuli. Stimulus generalization is the opposite of stimulus discrimination in the sense that the less sharp or fine a stimulus discrimination is, the more generalization there is. This chapter deals mainly with operant stimulus control, although much of this material, appropriately modified, also applies to respondent conditioning. That is, much of what is said here about SDs and SΔs also applies to CS+s and CS-s.
