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Activity: Applying Classical Conditioning
Students apply various principles associated with classical conditioning to everyday examples. Suggested
answers appear below.
1. Dogs are often disciplined by being swatted (the US) with rolled up newspapers, magazines, and such
(the CS). Fear is a natural response to being hit (the UR) and an acquired response (CR) to the sight
of such objects.
2. Joan has been attacked (the US) by monkeys (the CS) in the past. Fear of monkeys (the CR) is an
acquired response and fear of attacks (the UR) is more reflexive. Extinction is occurring as contact
continues without further incident; that is, presenting the CS (monkeys) without the US (pain from
the attack). Moreover, a bit of counterconditioning is also taking place as the cuddly, affectionate
monkeys elicit feelings incompatible with fear.
3. Screeching tires (CS) often cause people to tense up and flinch (CR). The lack of this response during
a car race suggests that stimulus discrimination may be present. Because neither person has had an
accident, higher-order conditioning may account for their learning. Specifically, screeching tires (CS)
often give rise to mental images of accidents. These mental images are already established CSs,
providing the basis for the CS-CS pairing.
4. The sight of Donna (CS) elicits romantic excitement (CR). The response was extinguished when
Donna failed to stimulate her partner (the US). The reaction one year later suggests spontaneous
recovery—the reappearance of the conditioned response after an apparent extinction.
5. The turkey is the source of the CS; the appearance, smell, and taste of turkey, and also the US, the
contamination. The nausea pattern is naturally elicited by contaminated foodstuffs (UR) and is an
acquired response to specific foods (CR). In the example, stimulus generalization is taking place.
Activity: Reinforcement vs. Punishment
Although reinforcement (which serves to increase or strengthen a behavioral response) is conceptually the
opposite of punishment (which serves to decrease or weaken a behavioral response), students often have a
hard time distinguishing negative reinforcement from punishment. This activity contains several realistic
examples of behavior that can be classified as positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, or
punishment. Correct answers are given below.
1. PR
2. PUN
3. PUN
4. NR
5. PR
6. PR
7. NR
8. PUN
9. PUN
10. NR
11. NR
12. PR
13. PUN
14. NR
15. PR
16. PR
17. PUN
18. PR
19. PUN
20. PR