Her owner put a leash on Mia the dog before taking her for a walk. Mia gets very excited when she goes for a walk. Now Mia gets excited when she sees the leash.
1. Going for a walk
2. Excited to be outside
3. The leash
4. Excited to see the leash
Answer (2)
This scenario is a classic example of classical conditioning, a concept introduced by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian psychologist. In this scenario, different elements relate to classical conditioning terms like Conditioned Stimulus (CS), Unconditioned Stimulus (US), Unconditioned Response (UR), and Conditioned Response (CR). Here's how each part fits:
Unconditioned Stimulus (US):
The unconditioned stimulus is something that naturally and automatically triggers a response. In this case, "Going for a walk" is something that naturally makes Mia excited.
Unconditioned Response (UR):
The unconditioned response is the natural reaction to the unconditioned stimulus. Here, "Excited to be outside" is the natural way Mia responds to going for a walk.
Conditioned Stimulus (CS):
The conditioned stimulus is something that was originally neutral but becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus to provoke a response. In this scenario, "The leash" originally didn’t excite Mia, but over time, she associated it with going for a walk.
Conditioned Response (CR):
The conditioned response is the learned response to the previously neutral stimulus, which is now conditioned. Mia's "Excited to see the leash" is this learned response, as she now anticipates the excitement of a walk whenever she sees the leash.
Thus, the leash, which initially had no significance, has become a source of excitement for Mia due to its association with going for a walk, an event that she naturally finds exciting.
This example illustrates classical conditioning, where Mia the dog associates the leash with the excitement of going for a walk. The leash becomes a conditioned stimulus that elicits excitement, which was originally a response to the unconditioned stimulus of going for a walk. This demonstrates how animals can learn through associations.
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