Yolanda is afraid of going to the dentist, but not the doctor. She is exhibiting
A) learned helplessness.
B) generalization.
C) discrimination.
D) negative punishment.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Discrimination is the ability to differentiate between similar stimuli and respond differently to them. In this case, Yolanda can differentiate between going to the dentist and going to the doctor and has learned to only fear the dentist. This is an example of discrimination, as opposed to generalization where the fear would extend to all medical professionals or settings, or learned helplessness where Yolanda would simply give up trying to overcome her fear. Negative punishment is the removal of a pleasant stimulus following a behavior in order to decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring again, and is not relevant in this scenario.

Yolanda Is Afraid of Going to the Dentist, but Not