An animal is placed in a box with a bar and also a wire floor that can deliver a mild shock. The experimenter first sounds a buzzer, then a few seconds later turns on the shock. Pressing the bar after the buzzer sounds but before the shock is delivered will prevent the shock from occurring. This is an example of ________.

A) avoidance training
B) classical conditioning
C) punishment learning
D) modeling

Question

David Merryman · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : A, Explanation :  The experiment described is an example of avoidance training, where the animal is trained to avoid a negative stimulus (shock) by learning to associate a certain behavior (pressing the bar) with the absence of the stimulus. This is distinct from classical conditioning, which involves learning to associate two stimuli together (such as Pavlov's dogs learning to associate the sound of a bell with the arrival of food). Punishment learning would involve the animal learning to avoid a certain behavior because it is followed by a negative consequence, whereas modeling involves learning by observing the behavior of others.

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