Need help in understanding.
Ray was assigned to barracks in a very old building with old plumbing. While showering for the first time, he heard the toilet flush and then, a few second later, was scalded when the water suddenly became much hotter. He screamed in pain. The next time he took a shower, when he heard the toilet flush, he immediately jumped out of the stream of water and screamed before the water became hotter. Name and describe the process of learning that took place. Be sure to use the correct terminology associated with all of the components involved in the process. For example, originally the sound of the toilet flushing was a (an)____________ and it later became a (an) __________ because of the process of learning.
The process of learning that took place in this scenario can be described as classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which an organism learns to associate two stimuli and anticipate events based on the learning.
In this case, the sound of the toilet flushing was originally a neutral stimulus. It had no particular effect on Ray's experience while showering. However, after the painful experience of being scalded by the sudden increase in hot water temperature, the sound of the toilet flushing became a conditioned stimulus. It now had the power to evoke a response - in this case, fear and anticipation of the scalding hot water.
The painful experience of being scalded was an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) because it naturally led to the response of pain. The response of feeling pain was an unconditioned response (UCR) because it was an automatic reaction to the UCS.
Through the process of classical conditioning, the sound of the flushing toilet became a conditioned stimulus (CS) that elicited a conditioned response (CR) of fear and anticipation, causing Ray to jump out of the water and scream before the water became hotter.
It is important to note that classical conditioning involves the association of two stimuli, with the previously neutral stimulus (toilet flushing) acquiring the ability to elicit a response (fear) through repeated pairing with the unconditioned stimulus (hot water scalding).