Generalization Gradient

A generalization gradient is the pattern, observed in classical and operant conditioning, by which a response conditioned to one stimulus also occurs, with diminishing strength, in response to stimuli that resemble the original but are not identical to it. The gradient typically shows the strongest response to the exact conditioned stimulus, with the response weakening steadily as a new stimulus becomes less similar to it. The phenomenon demonstrates that learned associations are not rigidly specific to a single stimulus but extend along a continuum of similarity.