Psychologist John Garcia found that rats did not learn to associate a taste with flashing lights and noise. However, rats do learn to associate a taste with getting ill. Which of the following concepts best accounts for this observation?
A)latent learning
B)biological preparedness
C)spontaneous recovery
D)the partial reinforcement effect

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This observation can be explained by the concept of biological preparedness, which suggests that animals (including humans) are more likely to learn certain types of associations due to evolutionary factors. In this case, rats are biologically prepared to associate tastes with illness because it is a survival necessity, while they are not biologically prepared to associate tastes with flashing lights and noise.

Psychologist John Garcia Found That Rats Did Not Learn to Associate