Question

Situation # 1       A little girl is very scared of gray cats.

In terms of Classical Conditioning, explain how this fear could be extinguished?

   In your answer, discuss role of US, UR, NS, CS, CR. Explain the sequence of events leading to extinction.

US

   UR

   NS

   CS

CR

Answer 1

The unconditional stimulus is the object or event that produces respnonse, the girl getting afriad may be unconditional response. Neutral stimulus does not creates any response.

We will have a picture of her mother, she is naturally close to her and feels secure. We can consider her mother as neutral stimulus.

Let us mother holding the gray cat can be neutral stimulus once, she will neither be afraid nor would be close to the cat. Hence her mother repeatedly handling cat and playing with her, or cuddling her would evoke positive response in that little girl as her very own mommy is doing that. When the neutral response is associated with unconditional stimulus it becomes conditional stimulus, as her mother is purposely trying to remover her fear. And now the girl starts getting closer to the cat day by day with help of her mother. This reponse to conditional stimulus is conditional response.