Question

Tad’s ex-girlfriend used to wear a rose-scented perfume. Since their bitter breakup, Tad has found that he feels angry whenever he smells this rose-scented perfume. In order for Tad to get to the point where smelling this perfume will no longer make him feel angry, he should ______.

Answer 1

Answer: This is the list of answer choices:

a. He should focus on how angry he is at his ex-girlfriend.

b. ​He should avoid contact with his ex-girlfriend for at least six months.

c. He should frequently go to the local perfume counter and smell Chanel No. 5.

d. He should find a new girlfriend.

Explanation: The correct answer is C. He should frequently go to the local perfume counter and smell Chanel No. 5.

This dilemma can be explained through classical conditioning.

In this case, Tad associated her ex-girlfriend with Chanel No. 5, which became a conditioned stimulus, he then has to disassociate the perfume from her girlfriend. To do that, Tad has to frequently perceive the perfume (conditioned stimulus) without the presence of his ex-girlfriend for the conditioning to go extinct.