Denise cries every time she hears a song on the radio that she and her ex-boyfriend used to enjoy. Hearing the song brings back memories of the good times they had before he broke off the relationship. How come Denise cries when she hears the song?
A)She was positively reinforced with the song and now she is not receiving the reinforcers anymore.
B)The song is a conditioned stimulus that she still associates with the good times that she now misses.
C)She has been operantly conditioned to cry to the song in the same way that "Little Albert" learned his fears.
D)The break-up of the relationship was a conditioned stimulus that elicited a conditioned response of crying.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Denise is experiencing classical conditioning where the song has become a conditioned stimulus that elicits a conditioned response of crying due to its association with the good times she had with her ex-boyfriend. The break-up of the relationship may have been an unconditioned stimulus that initially caused an unconditioned response of crying, but now the song has become the conditioned stimulus that causes the same response. Option A is incorrect because there is no mention of a lack of reinforcers, only a triggering stimulus. Option C is incorrect because there is no mention of operant conditioning or reinforcement. Option D is incorrect because the break-up of the relationship was not a learned stimulus, but a real event that had emotional consequences.

Denise Cries Every Time She Hears a Song on the Radio