What behavioral principles are involved in stimulus discrimination?

Stimulus discrimination refers to the ability of an organism to distinguish between similar stimuli and respond differently based on the characteristics of those stimuli. This concept is primarily rooted in behavioral principles such as reinforcement and extinction.

Reinforcement plays a crucial role in stimulus discrimination because it strengthens the behavior associated with a specific stimulus. For example, if a specific sound (a particular bell tone) is consistently paired with a reward (like food) while other sounds do not bring about such a reward, the subject learns to respond to the bell tone specifically. This reinforces the association between the stimulus and the desired behavior.

Extinction is also a critical component in this process, as it occurs when the reinforcement is removed. If the subject no longer receives a reward after responding to a previously reinforced stimulus, they will gradually stop responding to that stimulus as well. However, they may continue to respond to other stimuli that are not associated with reinforcement, thus demonstrating the ability to discriminate.

The combination of reinforcement (which strengthens the correct response) and extinction (which helps the subject unlearn responses to non-reinforced stimuli) underpins the process of stimulus discrimination effectively. The other options presented do not encapsulate these critical principles accurately, emphasizing why this is the correct answer.