Question

Suppose you eat lobster for the first time, then get the flu and become ill. Now, the thought of eating lobster leaves you with a queasy feeling in your stomach. The mechanism that best describes how you learned the "lobster - sick" association is classical conditioning.

a) True
b) False

Answer 1

The "lobster - sick" association where eating lobster is followed by illness, resulting in a feeling of queasiness when thinking about lobster, is true and an example of classical conditioning.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement describing the "lobster - sick" association, where the thought of eating lobster now causes a queasy feeling in the stomach, fits the definition of classical conditioning and is therefore true. In scenarios such as this, classical conditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus (the taste of lobster) is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (getting sick) and causes a conditioned response (feeling queasy at the thought of lobster). The mechanism through which this association is learned is grounded in biology and evolution, designed to help organisms avoid harmful substances. This type of learning has practical applications, such as in medical treatments where patients develop aversions to certain stimuli associated with discomfort or illness.