Which term refers to applying a trained skill to contexts beyond the original training context?

• A. Generalization
• B. Maintenance
• C. Transfer of control
• D. Stimulus Control

Answer: (A)

Generalization is when a skill learned in one situation is produced in other, untrained situations, with different people, or at different times. This shows the behavior isn’t tied to the exact training setting and can be used in everyday life. For example, if a learner is taught to request help during a structured session and then starts requesting help from family, peers, or in new places, that demonstrates generalization. It also covers applying a trained skill across different materials or contexts, like tying a shoe on various pairs or using a learned phrase with different people.

Maintenance, by contrast, is about keeping the skill performing over time after training ends, not about applying it to new contexts. Stimulus control concerns how specific cues or stimuli evoke the behavior, while transfer of control involves shifting the controlling stimulus from one cue to another, which can be a mechanism within generalization but isn’t the broad phenomenon itself.