operant. Now the sweets are kept in another jar of a different size and shape and at a different location in the kitchen. In the absence of the mother the child locates the jar and obtains the sweets. This is also an example of generalisation.
When a learned response occurs or is elicited by a new stimulus, it is called generalisation. Another process, which is complimentary to generalisation, is called discrimination. Generalisation is due to similarity while discrimination is a response due to difference. For example, suppose a child is conditioned to be afraid of a person with a long moustache and wearing black clothes.
In subsequent situation, when s/he meets another person dressed in black clothes with a beard, the child shows signs of fear. The child’s fear is generalised. S/he meets another stranger who is wearing grey clothes and is clean-shaven. The child shows no fear.
This is an example of discrimination. Occurrence of generalisation means failure of discrimination. Discriminative response depends on the discrimination capacity or discrimination learning of the organism. Spontaneous Recovery Spontaneous recovery occurs after a learned response is extinguished.
Suppose an organism has learned to make a response for getting reinforcement, then the response is extinguished and some time lapses. A question now may be asked, whether the response is completely extinguished, and will not occur if the CS is presented. It has been demonstrated that after lapse of considerable time, the learned or CR recovers and occurs to the CS. The amount of spontaneous recovery depends on the duration of the time lapsed after the extinction session.
The longer the duration of time lapsed, the greater is the recovery of learned response. Such a recovery occurs spontaneously. Fig. .
shows the phenomenon of spontaneous recovery. Fig. . : Phenomenon of Spontaneous Recovery Strength of the CR Baseline ( ) Acquisition (CS+US) ( ) Extinction (CS alone) ( ) Spontaneous recovery (CS alone) Rest Trials O BSERVATIONAL L EARNING The next form of learning takes place by observing others.
Earlier this form of learning was called imitation . Bandura and his colleagues in a series of experimental studies