Discrimination is a process complementary to generalization. Whereas generalization is reaction to similarities, discrimination is reaction to differences discrimination is a process by which an organisms learns to respond in one way to a particular stimulus, and in another way to a different stimulus. Discrimination is established by reinforcing a response to one stimulus and not to another.
In an experiment conducted by Pavlov, the dog was conditioned to salivate to a specific tone. The CR generalized to a second tone similar characteristic to the first one. Then a new experimental procedure began. The first tone (CS) and the second tone (new stimulus) were presented alternate trials. The first tone was followed by food (reinforcement), and second was never followed by food (no reinforcement). As a result, the C the first tone was maintained, and the generalized response to the sec tone underwent extinction. The dog learned to salivate to the first tone are withhold salivation to the second tone. The dog discriminated between two stimuli because of differential reinforcement. Discrimination training is a combination of conditioning and extinction techniques.
Discrimination, like generalization has an adaptive significance. Too much generalization is being over-responsive, while too much discrimination is being over-selective. The balancing act between these two counter-acting tendencies results in optimum adaptation. Ideally, conditioning is a process in which discrimination ultimately wins over generalization.