A girl classically conditions her dog to blink by blowing into her dog's eyes just after saying "blink!" Unfortunately, her parrot overhears the procedure, and says "blink" all day long when the girl is out. When she returns, the girl says "blink" to her dog, but he does not blink. It appears as though:
A) the dog's behaviour has generalized.
B) the dog is now under the parrot's control.
C) spontaneous recovery has occurred.
D) extinction has taken place.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The procedure of the girl trying to condition the dog to blink with the use of a verbal cue ("blink") and blowing into the dog's eyes is an example of classical conditioning. The dog has learned to associate the verbal cue with the blowing sensation and the resultant blinking. However, since the parrot has been repeatedly saying "blink" in the absence of the girl's procedure, the dog's conditioned response to the verbal cue may have weakened and ultimately extinguished. Therefore, when the girl returned and said "blink" to her dog, he did not respond because the conditioned response had been erased by the lack of reinforcement. This implies that the procedure of the girl has undergone extinction.

A Girl Classically Conditions Her Dog to Blink by Blowing