In one experiment, rats were exposed to combinations of a tone and a shock. For one group of rats, shocks arrived 50% of the time without any warning; the tone therefore really provided no information. For another group of rats, shocks also arrived occasionally with no warning. But the likelihood of a shock was smaller (below 20%) when there was no tone than when there was a tone. What was the finding?
A) The second group of rats became fearful whenever a tone was sounded.
B) Both groups of rats feared the sound of the tone the same.
C) Both groups of rats came to fear any sound of any kind.
D) The first group of rats became fearful whenever a tone was sounded.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The second group of rats, who received occasional shocks and were conditioned to associate the tone with a higher likelihood of shocks, became fearful whenever a tone was sounded. The first group of rats, who received shocks randomly without any association with the tone, did not show any fear response to the tone.

In One Experiment, Rats Were Exposed to Combinations of a Tone