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.
It sounds like you are now learning about operant and classical conditioning, simulus, positive or negative response, reinforcers, etc.
It would be good for you to review these concepts, even looking them up online because they can be confusing. If I just gave you the answers you wouldn't learn the process.
I do understand, however, that textbooks can be uncreative in their teaching approach. So I suggest you analyze the behavior that occurs on a daily basis, say what do I have to do before I go to bed...set the alarm. Why? To help me wake up. What will happen if I don't...I may oversleep be late for school, appt., etc. and things will backfire. How did I learn this? By....
So, you intitially had a stimulus to do something. You followed through from classical and or operant conditioning, but your alarm didn't go off. You were late to school, this upset and embarrased you terribly, so what did you do? You got another battery, etc. You got up at the proper time and so this was positive reinforcement.
These are the steps I learned, however take your time and feel and objectively observe the situation this fellow went through before he got in the shower, what he expected to happen, something different happened, what he did to avoid it happening again, and how it was reinforced through positive learning.
This will help you observe and learn objectively in many ways much more effectively in the future and understand why people act the way they do or don't act the way they do.
This is not all the answer to your problem. I am just helping you think it through.
Thank you I have it figured out now. I was a bit confused from the start.
You are very welcome.
The process of learning that took place in this scenario is known as classical conditioning. In classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus (in this case, the sound of the toilet flushing) becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus (the scalding hot water) which leads to a conditioned response (the pain and the jump out of the stream of water).
Initially, the sound of the toilet flushing was a neutral stimulus. It did not have any inherent connection or association with the sudden increase in water temperature. However, through repeated pairings, the sound of the toilet flushing became a conditioned stimulus. This means that it acquired the ability to elicit a conditioned response.
The unconditioned stimulus in this scenario is the scalding hot water. When Ray was scalded by the water, it naturally and involuntarily elicited a response of pain. This is known as an unconditioned response.
Through repeated pairings of the neutral stimulus (toilet flushing) with the unconditioned stimulus (scalding water), the sound of the flushing toilet became associated with the hot water, ultimately leading to a conditioned response. In this case, the conditioned response was Ray's jump out of the stream of water and his scream, which occurred even before the water became hotter. This conditioned response was a learned response to the conditioned stimulus (toilet flushing) due to the association with the unconditioned stimulus (scalding water).
In summary, the process of learning that took place in this scenario is classical conditioning. The sound of the toilet flushing initially was a neutral stimulus, but it became a conditioned stimulus through association with the unconditioned stimulus (scalding water). This association led to the conditioned response of Ray jumping out of the stream of water and screaming, even before the water became hotter.