A scientist trains a group of rats to run a maze to get food pellets.Another group of rats is trained to run the maze without receiving food pellets.At the end of the training,the group receiving the food pellets runs the maze faster and with fewer errors.However,when the scientist begins giving the second group of rats food pellets for running the maze,they almost immediately begin running the maze as well as the first group.This improved performance is probably due to:
A)spontaneous recovery.
B)insight.
C)vicarious conditioning.
D)latent learning.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The improved performance of the second group of rats is most likely due to latent learning, as they were able to learn the maze but did not display their knowledge until they were given an incentive to do so (the food pellets). This suggests that the second group was learning the maze even without reinforcement, but the reinforcement served as a trigger for them to demonstrate what they had learned. Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a previously extinguished response, insight refers to sudden problem-solving without trial-and-error learning, and vicarious conditioning involves learning by observing the experiences of others. None of these concepts fit the situation described in the scenario.

A Scientist Trains a Group of Rats to Run a Maze