Question

Some people with alcohol dependence report that just the smell of alcohol creates a powerful sense of well-being, increasing the desire to drink the alcohol. Explain this reaction using a classical conditioning model, and describe one possible way to decrease the reaction. Use the following terms in your answer:
A. Unconditioned stimulus
B. Unconditioned response
D. Conditioned stimulus
E. Conditioned response
F. Extinction

Answer 1

UCS - alcohol

UCR - sense of well-being

CS - smell of alcohol

CR - sense of well-being

Alcohol (UCS) causes the UCR; UCS automatically cause (UCR) a sense of well-being, without previous conditioning .

Since the smell of alcohol is paired repeatedly with actual alcohol (UCS), it is likely to eventually elicit the UCR (sense of well-being) .

Sense of well-being is the UCR to the UCS of alcohol, the smell of alcohol (CS) is likely to eventually elicit the CR of a sense of well-being .

The presentation of the CS (smell of alcohol) without the UCS (alcohol), with repeated pairings, will eliminate the conditioned response (CR). Therefore, extinction has taken place.