Ken used to drool at the smell of peanut butter cookies as they baked, and he couldn't wait to sink his teeth into that first cookie. However, Ken's new roommate makes terrible peanut butter cookies, and the smell of them baking is no longer associated with a wonderful taste experience. Consequently, Ken finds that the smell of the cookies no longer makes him drool in anticipation. This illustrates the classical conditioning process known as
A)spontaneous recovery.
B)second-order conditioning.
C)extinction.
D)avoidance.

Question

Ken used to drool at the smell of peanut butter cookies as they baked, and he couldn't wait to sink his teeth into that first cookie. However, Ken's new roommate makes terrible peanut butter cookies, and the smell of them baking is no longer associated with a wonderful taste experience. Consequently, Ken finds that the smell of the cookies no longer makes him drool in anticipation. This illustrates the classical conditioning process known as ​
A)spontaneous recovery.
B)second-order conditioning.
C)extinction.
D)avoidance.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates the process of extinction in classical conditioning, where the conditioned response (drooling in anticipation) decreases and eventually disappears after the conditioned stimulus (the smell of peanut butter cookies) is repeatedly presented without being followed by the unconditioned stimulus (the wonderful taste experience).

Ken Used to Drool at the Smell of Peanut Butter