matching-to-sample discrimination

In psychology, matching-to-sample discrimination is a type of learning where an individual must perceive and respond to differences among stimuli. This is a more advanced skill than generalization, which involves recognizing similarities.1

In a typical matching-to-sample task, an animal is presented with a sample stimulus and then must choose the correct alternative from a set of options that matches the sample. For instance, a pigeon might be shown a red light (the sample) and then must choose between a red and a green disk. If the red disk is correct, the pigeon has successfully matched the sample.2

While many animals can learn this task, there are differences in their ability to transfer this learning to new sets of stimuli. Primates and dolphins have shown good evidence of this transfer, whereas pigeons have demonstrated more limited capabilities.2