Which of the following best exemplifies classical conditioning?
responses
1) Jennifer was in a terrible car accident last year. Now, even the sound of screeching tires can make her anxious and afraid.
2) Steven follows a certain routine: he wakes up, takes a shower, drinks some coffee, and goes to school. If he is unable to follow one part of his routine, he feels out of sorts for the remainder of the day.
3) When Julie smells a certain scent, she always remembers happy childhood memories.
4) Because Cynthia knows that Robert has not been sleeping well, she assumes that his bad mood is a result of fatigue.
1) Jennifer was in a terrible car accident last year. Now, even the sound of screeching tires can make her anxious and afraid.
The best example of classical conditioning among the given responses is:
1) Jennifer was in a terrible car accident last year. Now, even the sound of screeching tires can make her anxious and afraid.
This example demonstrates classical conditioning because Jennifer's fear response (anxiety and fear) is a learned response that has been associated with the sound of screeching tires, which is a previously neutral stimulus that becomes a trigger for her fear after the traumatic car accident.
The best example of classical conditioning among the given options is option 1) Jennifer's anxious and fearful response to the sound of screeching tires after being in a car accident.
Classical conditioning, also known as Pavlovian conditioning, is a learning process in which an organism develops a response to a previously neutral stimulus through repeated association with another stimulus that already elicits that response. To identify classical conditioning, you need to look for a neutral stimulus becoming associated with a naturally triggering stimulus, leading to a consistent response.
In option 1), the sound of screeching tires initially would have been a neutral stimulus for Jennifer. However, after experiencing a car accident, she now associates the sound with the fearful and anxious response she had during the accident. Therefore, the sound of screeching tires has become a conditioned stimulus that elicits the response of anxiety and fear in Jennifer.
Options 2), 3), and 4) do not demonstrate classical conditioning as they are not based on the association of a neutral stimulus with an already triggering stimulus to produce a new response. Option 2) describes a routine or habit, option 3) describes a scent triggering a memory, and option 4) describes an assumption based on information, none of which involve classical conditioning.