Which term describes a complex form of stimulus control requiring generalization within a class and discrimination between classes?

• A. Behavior
• B. Behavior Chain
• C. Concept Formation
• D. DRO

Answer: (C)

Concept formation involves learning to respond to items that belong to a shared class while distinguishing items from other classes. This requires generalization within the class—new exemplars that share the defining features elicit the same response—and discrimination between classes—items from different classes do not. For example, a learner can categorize various four-legged animals as the same class and respond similarly to new animals they’ve not seen before, while not responding as if non-animals were in that class. This combination of broad, class-based responsiveness and precise distinction between classes is what makes concept formation the best descriptor. Behaviors are individual actions, a behavior chain is a sequence of actions, and DRO is a reinforcement strategy to reduce other behaviors, none of which capture the broad generalization and discrimination across stimulus classes.