Question

How would you classically condition an adventuresome 2-year-old to be more fearful of running across a busy street near her house? (b) how would you classically condition a preschool child who is afraid of dogs to enjoy playing with a neighbor's friendly dog? be sure to identify the us, cs, ur, and cr in both answers?

Answer 1

A) In classical conditioning, we need the toddler (US) to discontinue running across a street (UR) by associating it with something unpleasant.

During conditioning, we can use shouting as a neutral stimulus. (NS)  Every time the toddler approaches the street (US)  it will be associated with yelling. The toddler will then respond to the yelling with fear. (UR)

After conditioning, the toddler will associate crossing the street with fear, without the presence of yelling. (CR)

This method has been proved to generate phobias.

B) When it comes to removing a phobia, it may require systematic desensitization, a type a behavioral therapy based off of classical conditioning. It aims to remove fear (UR)

When the child sees the dog (US) the child is fearful (UR) so we would need relaxation techniques. For example, sweets can be used as a positive reinforcement. (NS)

During conditioning, every time the child is placed with a friendly dog, the child is rewarded with sweets. With enough repetition, the child will willing interact with the dog; play time is the conditioned stimulus, and sense of well-being is the conditioned response.