Joseph,a three-year-old boy,is afraid of the doctor who gave him a shot and made him cry.Consequently,whenever Joseph sees a person in a white laboratory coat,he starts crying.In this scenario,Joseph's behavior best exemplifies
A)spontaneous recovery in classical conditioning.
B)extinction in classical conditioning.
C)generalization in operant conditioning.
D)discrimination in operant conditioning.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Joseph's behavior of crying when he sees anyone in a white lab coat is an example of generalization in operant conditioning. Generalization occurs when a response similar to the original conditioned response is produced by a similar stimulus. In this case, the white lab coat is a similar stimulus to the doctor who gave Joseph the shot and made him cry, and so he responds to it with fear and crying.

Joseph,a Three-Year-Old Boy,is Afraid of the Doctor Who Gave Him