Concept introduction: Behavior is the capacity of an animal to learn through experience. Conditioning is used to learn behavior in which response becomes more frequent or more predictable. This is achieved as a result of reinforcement of stimulus for a desired response.
Answer to Problem 15TYS
Correct answer: Garcia and Koelling’s taste aversion studies showed that conditioning can occur when the unconditioned stimulus (US) does not immediately follow the neutral stimulus.
Explanation of Solution
Neutral stimulus is the stimulus that elicits no response. When neutral stimulus used together with unconditioned stimulus produces a conditioned stimulus in classical conditioning. Taste aversion is the learned response to eat toxic food. When the aversion takes place, the habit of eating a spoiled food is avoided completely. Psychologists Garcia and Koelling hypothesized rats before experiencing radiation, sweetened water is neutral stimulus that cause no response. Thus, radiation is the unconditioned stimulus. The illness caused is the unconditioned response. When they are exposed to radiation, the radiation long with sweetened water becomes conditioned. The illness caused by this conditioned stimulus is conditioned response. Thus, the rats avoided the sweetened water when they are exposed to radiation. Thus, the conditioning occur when the unconditioned stimulus (US) does not immediately follow the neutral stimulus.