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Question 1
What term did Pavlov use to describe the process by which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit a conditioned response?
Answer: Classical (Pavlovian) conditioning. Through repeated pairings of a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus capable of eliciting a conditioned response on its own.
Question 2
In classical conditioning, what is the term for a learned response that weakens and eventually disappears when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus?
Answer: Extinction. It occurs when the conditioned stimulus no longer predicts the unconditioned stimulus, causing the conditioned response to diminish over time.
Question 3
What phenomenon occurs when a previously extinguished conditioned response reappears after a rest period, even without additional conditioning trials?
Answer: Spontaneous recovery. It demonstrates that extinction suppresses rather than permanently erases the conditioned association.
Question 4
What is stimulus generalization in classical conditioning?
Answer: Stimulus generalization occurs when stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus also elicit the conditioned response. The greater the similarity to the original CS, the stronger the generalized response.
Question 5
In John Watson's 'Little Albert' experiment, what concept was demonstrated when Albert showed fear not only toward a white rat but also toward other white, furry objects?
Answer: Stimulus generalization. Albert's conditioned fear response transferred to stimuli resembling the original conditioned stimulus (white rat).