Question

Some of Pavlov's dogs learned to salivate to the sound of one particular tone and not to other tones. This illustrates the process of?

A) shaping
B) latent learning
C) secondary reinforcement
D) discrimination
E) extinction

Answer 1

The process illustrated by some of Pavlov's dogs learning to salivate only to a specific tone, while not responding to other tones, is known as discrimination.

Step-by-step explanation:

Some of Pavlov's dogs learned to salivate to the sound of one particular tone and not to other tones. This illustrates the process of discrimination. In the context of classical conditioning, discrimination occurs when an organism learns to respond differently to various stimuli that are similar, displaying the conditioned response only to the conditioned stimulus. In Pavlov's classic experiments, the dogs learned to associate the sound of a specific tone with being fed, and therefore began to salivate when they heard that tone, but not when other similar tones were played. It is an important aspect of both classical and operant conditioning, vital for an organism to respond appropriately to different environmental cues.