Denny is quite fearful of going to the dentist. Over time he has noticed that he becomes anxious at even the smell of the dentist's office. Every step Denny takes right up until the dentist starts to drill a tooth seems to cause muscle tension and anxiety. Denny is experiencing __________
A) reflexive conditioning.
B) operant conditioning.
C) graduated conditioning.
D) higher-order conditioning.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Denny is experiencing higher-order conditioning, where a stimulus that was previously neutral (like the smell of the dentist's office) becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus (the pain or discomfort of dental work) to elicit a conditioned response (anxiety and muscle tension).

Denny Is Quite Fearful of Going to the Dentist