Stimulus Generalization occurs when a behavior that is learned in the presence of one stimulus also occurs in the presence of a different, but similar, stimulus. This process allows behaviors to transfer across different contexts or environments without additional training.
Example
A child learns to say “dog” when they see their family’s pet dog. Later, the child says “dog” when they see other dogs in the neighborhood, even though they are different breeds and sizes. This shows stimulus generalization, as the behavior of saying “dog” occurs in response to similar, though not identical, stimuli.