Discrimination
Definition
In psychology, discrimination refers to an organism’s ability to differentiate between a specific stimulus and similar ones but not identical stimuli.
Analogy
Imagine you're at a car lot full of red cars, but you're looking for one specific red car. You can tell the difference between that specific red car and all the other similar ones - this is discrimination.
Related terms
Stimulus Generalization: This refers to the tendency for the conditioned response to be evoked by stimuli that are similar to the stimulus to which it was originally conditioned.
Positive Reinforcement: It’s when a desirable event or stimulus is presented as a consequence of a behavior and the behavior increases.
Negative Reinforcement: It’s when an undesirable event or stimulus is removed or prevented from happening as a consequence of a behavior and the behavior increases.
"Discrimination" appears in:
Study guides (2)
Practice Questions (13)
What does discrimination in classical conditioning refer to?
Which theory best explains how stereotypes can lead to prejudice and discrimination?
Why does discrimination often occur due to cognitive biases?
What type of discrimination involves behaviors targeted at individuals because of their membership in a particular group?
How did the Robbers Cave experiment improve our understanding of intergroup conflict, prejudice, and discrimination?
In what way did Jane Elliot's "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes" experiment contribute to our comprehension of discrimination?
How does the fundamental attribution error contribute to bias and discrimination in psychological practices?
In what way can confirmation bias lead to unethical psychology practice related to prejudice and discrimination?
How does stereotype threat contribute to discrimination?
How does economics' "game theory" provide insights into the formation and perpetuation of societal prejudices and discrimination?
How can anthropology's study of cultural relativism enhance our comprehension of bias and discrimination in psychology?
Which strategy mitigates discrimination best in schools?
Which psychological theory emphasizes the role of learned behaviors in contributing to prejudice and discrimination?
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