Question

Describe two examples of escape conditioning in everyday life, one of which is not in this chapter.

A. Escaping a crowded room to find a quiet space.
B. A child avoiding a disliked food item by leaving the dinner table.
C. Escaping heavy traffic by taking an alternative route.
D. Escaping a boring lecture by pretending to receive an urgent call.

Answer 1

Escape conditioning is an operant conditioning behavior where individuals learn to avoid or change unpleasant situations. Common examples include leaving a noisy room for peace or finding an alternative route to avoid traffic.

Step-by-step explanation:

Escape conditioning, part of operant conditioning, is when an individual learns to perform a behavior to ensure escape from an aversive stimulus. In everyday life, this can take many forms. For example:

• Escaping a crowded room to find a quiet space is a form of escape conditioning where the aversive stimulus is the noise and crowding, and the escape behavior is seeking a quieter area.
• Escaping heavy traffic by taking an alternative route is another instance. Here, the aversive situation is the traffic jam, and the escape behavior is finding a different path to reach the destination, reducing stress and saving time.

Both examples show behavior changing in response to an unpleasant situation, with the goal of finding relief or a more desirable circumstance.