Question

In which of the following scenarios is Roxie the dog most likely to rapidly learn to associate a conditioned stimulus with food?

a.
When Roxie's owner gets home from work, sometimes she gives Roxie a food treat right away; other times, they go for a short walk before Roxie is given the treat.
b.
During the week, Roxie gets treats for not scratching the furniture; during the weekend, she gets treats for performing complex tricks.
c.
Roxie's owner has two sons: the older son teaches Roxie tricks and sometimes rewards her with a treat; the younger son likes to play fetch with Roxie.
d.
Each morning, Roxie's owner opens the squeaky kitchen cupboard, pours dog food into a bowl, and immediately puts the bowl of food on the floor for Roxie to eat.

Answer 1

Roxie the dog is most likely to rapidly learn to associate a conditioned stimulus with food when the sound of a squeaky kitchen cupboard is consistently followed by the immediate presentation of food, as this follows the effective principles of classical conditioning established by Ivan Pavlov.

Step-by-step explanation:

In classical conditioning, an organism, such as a dog, learns to associate a neutral stimulus with a significant event, such as being fed. Among the scenarios presented, Roxie the dog is most likely to rapidly learn to associate a conditioned stimulus with food in the scenario where each morning, Roxie's owner opens the squeaky kitchen cupboard, pours dog food into a bowl, and immediately puts the bowl of food on the floor for Roxie to eat. This is because the consistent and immediate pairing of the sound of the cupboard (conditioned stimulus) with the presentation of food (unconditioned stimulus) closely mirrors the procedures used in Pavlovian experiments, which have been proven to be effective in establishing a strong conditioned response.

Therefore, the routine involving the squeaky cupboard and food delivery is typically the most effective for classical conditioning, following the principles laid out by Ivan Pavlov's experiments. The reinforcement schedule here is continuous, meaning that every time the conditioned stimulus (squeaky cupboard) is presented, it is immediately followed by the unconditioned stimulus (food), which is the most effective way to establish a new behavior.