Question

During the cold winter, you have stopped taking your dog for walks. What’s more, your dog has gotten used to the fact that when you accidentally rattle his leash, he isn’t going for a walk, and subsequently he doesn’t come running to the front door. What has occurred?

Answer 1

Answer:

Pavlovian (or depending on your teacher, Classical) conditioning

Explanation:

What has occurred in this scenario is that your dog has associated the rattle of the leash to mean he is not going for a walk, and subsequently he does not come to the door for the simple purpose of he wont get anything out of it. This is because of the learning procedure in which a biologically potent stimulus is paired with a previously neutral stimulus. This is known as Pavlovian Conditioning,