After owning a car with a manual transmission, Don buys a car with an automatic transmission. When first driving his new car, he keeps reaching for the nonexistent clutch and gearshift. This is an example of
A)acquisition.
B)stimulus generalization.
C)stimulus discrimination.
D)shaping.

Question

After owning a car with a manual transmission, Don buys a car with an automatic transmission. When first driving his new car, he keeps reaching for the nonexistent clutch and gearshift. This is an example of ​
A)acquisition.
B)stimulus generalization.
C)stimulus discrimination.
D)shaping.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This behavior is an example of stimulus generalization because Don is responding to the new, similar situation (driving an automatic car) with behaviors that were conditioned in a different but related context (driving a manual car). Stimulus generalization occurs when a conditioned response is triggered by stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus.

After Owning a Car with a Manual Transmission, Don Buys