Question

A dog gets agitated around a new cat, and the cat gets upset with the dog. When the owner feeds them together, side by side, they begin to like each other. What form of conditioning does this exemplify?

Select one:
a. higher-order conditioning
b. trace conditioning
c. counterconditioning
d. fear-hierarchy conditioning

Answer 1

Counterconditioning is indicated when an association with a positive stimulus (food) changes a pet's previous aggressive or fearful reaction to another pet into a calmer, more pleasant response. The correct option is c.

Step-by-step explanation:

The form of conditioning exemplified when the owner feeds the dog and the cat side by side and they begin to like each other is known as counterconditioning. This is a process by which the pet's fearful or aggressive response to a stimulus is replaced with a more pleasant, toned-down response.

Essentially, the presence of the other pet becomes associated with something enjoyable (food) and gradually, the initial negative response diminishes.

Hence, Option c is correct.