Which of the following can be best explained by classical conditioning?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To start, let's restate the scenario and the options to be examined. The question asks which scenario can be best explained by classical conditioning. The options are:
1) learning to play guitar like your older brother
2) asking your professor for help understanding classical conditioning
3) going to class to improve your test scores
4) being afraid of a large dog after having a bad experience with a different dog

Option 1: learning to play guitar like your older brother. This describes observational learning or modeling, where the learner imitates a more skilled model. Classical conditioning does not primarily involve imitation or acquiring a complex skill by observing another person, so this is not well explained by classical conditioning. It could involve cognitive processes and observational learning theories, not the core mechanism of classical conditioning.

Option 2: asking your professor for help understanding classical conditioning. This is a meta-cognitive or instructional behavior; it reflects seeking information or clarification. It does not illustrate a learned association between neutral and unconditioned stimuli, which is central to classical conditioning, so this example is not appropriate for that framework.

Option 3: going to class to improve your test scores. This reflects deliberate behavior aimed at achieving a goal, potentially influenced by operant conditioning (rewarding study outcomes) or general motivation, rather than a conditioned elicitation of a response through paired stimuli. It does not demonstrate the formation of an automatic learned response to a neutral stimulus paired with an unconditioned stimulus.

Option 4: being afraid of a large dog after having a bad experience with a different dog. This precisely maps onto classical conditioning: a previously neutral stimulus (a large dog) comes to elicit a fear response after being paired with an aversive unconditioned event (a bad encounter with another dog). Over time, the large dog alone can trigger fear due to the learned association, which is the hallmark of Pavlovian classical conditioning.

In sum, the reasoning for why Option 4 fits classical conditioning is that it involves pairing or association leading to a conditioned emotional response. The other options involve learning processes more aligned with observational learning, information-seeking, or behavior reinforced by outcomes, rather than the formation of a conditioned reflex through stimulus pairing. Thus, Option 4 best explains classical conditioning.

PSY 1001 (001) Final Exam/Exam 4

Which of the following can be best explained by classical conditioning?

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