Learning and Memory - Chapter 8

What is generalization?

The transfer of past learning to new situations and problems

What is discrimination?

Recognition of differences between stimuli

What is the core issue of generalization?

Finding appropriate balance between specificity (how narrowly a rule applies) and generality (how broadly a rule applies)

What did Guttman and Kalish's pigeon experiment demonstrate?

Pigeons trained to peck at yellow light showed decreasing response to other colors based on their similarity to yellow, demonstrating a generalization gradient

What is a generalization gradient?

A curve showing how changes in physical properties of stimuli correspond to changes in responding

What is a discrete-component representation?

A representation where each stimulus is represented by its own unique node in the model

What are distributed representations?

Representations where stimuli are represented by overlapping pools of nodes or stimulus elements

What is negative patterning?

A learning task where response to individual cues is positive but response to their combination is negative