Your textbook describes Robert Rescorla's classic experiment involving two groups of rats. One of these groups of rats heard a tone just before each of 20 shocks. The second group of rats experienced the same 20 tone-shock pairings, but also experienced an additional 20 shocks that were not paired with a tone. How did the two groups differ?
A) Because they experienced more shocks, the rats in the second group displayed a much stronger fear response to the tone than did the rats in the first group.
B) As predicted by the basic principles of classical conditioning, there were no differences between the two groups of rats.
C) The rats in the first group developed learned helplessness, while the rats in the second group did not.
D) The rats in the first group displayed a much stronger conditioned fear response to the tone than did the rats in the second group.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The rats in the first group developed a stronger association between the tone and the shocks, as they were paired together in every trial. The rats in the second group experienced some shocks that were not paired with the tone, which weakened the association between the tone and the shocks. Therefore, the rats in the first group displayed a much stronger conditioned fear response to the tone than did the rats in the second group.

Your Textbook Describes Robert Rescorla's Classic Experiment Involving Two Groups