Difficulty: Easy

Average Score: 100%

When a white bunny was presented to a child for the first time, a researcher struck a hammer loudly against a steel bar behind the child's back. The child cried in fright. The researcher repeated this procedure a number of times. Three months later, the child's uncle brought her a white kitten as a birthday gift. Based on conditioning theory, which of the following describes the child's most likely reaction?

Based on conditioning theory, which of the following describes the child's most likely reaction?

Rationale

She will cry because she is afraid of the kitten.

According to conditioning theory, an emotional response can be developed through associations made between stimuli. If the child has previously experienced fear in the presence of a kitten, she is likely to cry upon seeing it due to that learned association.

A (She will smile because there is no hammer sound) YOUR ANSWER

This option suggests a positive reaction based on the absence of a specific sound, possibly linked to a different stimulus. However, the question focuses on the child's reaction to the kitten, and the absence of the hammer sound does not directly relate to her emotional state regarding the kitten.

B (She will smile because there is no bunny) YOUR ANSWER

This option implies that the child's emotional response is contingent on the absence of a bunny, which does not connect to her feelings about the kitten. The question specifies her reaction to the kitten, making this choice irrelevant to the conditioning theory context.

C (She will cry because she is afraid of the kitten) CORRECT

This is the correct choice as it directly reflects the child's learned fear response to the kitten, emphasizing how conditioning can lead to emotional reactions based on past experiences with similar stimuli.

D (She will cry because she wants the bunny, not the kitten) YOUR ANSWER

While this option indicates a negative reaction, it frames the child's distress as a desire for a different stimulus (the bunny). This does not align with the principles of conditioning theory, which focuses on responses to specific stimuli rather than desires for absent ones.

E (She will smile because she likes the kitten) YOUR ANSWER

This option suggests a positive reaction based on affection towards the kitten. However, if the child has a conditioned fear response to the kitten, it is unlikely she would feel positively towards it, making this choice inconsistent with her learned behavior.

Conclusion

In conditioning theory, emotional reactions are shaped by prior experiences and associations. The child's likely response of crying due to fear of the kitten illustrates how learned behaviors can influence emotional states. Other options either misinterpret the source of her feelings or focus on irrelevant stimuli, reinforcing the understanding that fear responses are grounded in direct experiences with specific objects or animals.

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