Bart developed a fear of flying when he was piloting a small plane through some severe turbulence. He has been seeing a therapist, and it appears that his fear response has been successfully extinguished. The therapist used a flight simulator to help Bart practice his piloting skills in a safe setting. However, the first time Bart stepped back into a real plane, his fear returned. This example illustrates the phenomenon known as
A)second-order conditioning.
B)the renewal effect.
C)unblocking.
D)stimulus generalization.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The renewal effect describes the phenomenon where a response (like fear) that has been extinguished in one context (e.g., a flight simulator) reappears when the individual is placed in a different context (e.g., a real plane). This is what happened to Bart, making the renewal effect the correct answer.

Bart Developed a Fear of Flying When He Was Piloting