Stimulus discrimination is the ability to differentiate between a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli that have not been paired with an unconditioned stimulus.
Stimulus discrimination is understood through behaviorism, particularly classical and operant conditioning. It involves recognizing differences between similar stimuli and responding only to the specific conditioned stimulus.
Research by Ivan Pavlov on classical conditioning laid the foundation for understanding stimulus discrimination, demonstrating that dogs could differentiate between the sound of a conditioned bell and other similar sounds.