Which of the following scenarios exemplifies extinction
A)Alexis is a former cocaine user.Now that she no longer uses, her hands no longer shake and her heart no longer pounds when she hears a car pull into her drive, like her dealer used to do in his car.
B)Alexis uses cocaine.She no longer feels quite the same rush as she did when she first started using.
C)Alexis is a former cocaine user in recovery.After a relapse, though, her hands shake and her heart pounds when she hears a car pull into her drive, like her dealer used to do in his car.
D)Alexis uses cocaine.To feel the effects of the drug, she needs a larger amount of the drug than she did in the past.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Extinction in psychological terms refers to the gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of a conditioned response. In scenario A, Alexis's conditioned responses (hand shaking and heart pounding) to the stimulus (hearing a car pull into her drive, which used to be associated with her dealer) have disappeared because the stimulus no longer predicts the drug delivery. This is a classic example of extinction, where the conditioned response diminishes over time after the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus.

Which of the Following Scenarios Exemplifies Extinction