Discrimination is the unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, or sexual orientation. Stimulus discrimination is distinguishing between a learned stimulus and similar stimuli.When someone acts on prejudiced attitudes toward a group of people this is known as discrimination. Prejudice is a common human condition. Prejudice just means prejudgment. Sometimes people will act on their prejudiced attitudes toward a group of people, and this behavior is known as discrimination. Discrimination occurs when you've been treated differently than others because you possess certain characteristics. The EEO laws also cover "associational discrimination. Please fill out the form below. Other Eligibility Requirements.