Question

Three-year-old Johnny was classically conditioned to salivate to a bell that was paired with lemon juice. After this conditioned response was extinguished, the experimenter presented the bell the following day, and Johnny responded by salivating again to the bell, at least at first. Johnny's return to the learned response is known as

a. operant extinction
b. resistance to extinction
c. stimulus control
d. stimulus generalization

Answer 1

Three-year-old Johnny was classically conditioned to salivate to a bell that was paired with lemon juice Johnny's return to the learned response is known as B). resistance to extinction.

Step-by-step explanation:

After the conditioned response (salivating to the bell) was extinguished, Johnny's response to the bell the following day indicates resistance to extinction. Extinction in classical conditioning occurs when the conditioned stimulus (bell) is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus (lemon juice). As a result, the conditioned response (salivation) gradually decreases and eventually disappears.

However, even after extinction, the association between the conditioned stimulus and the conditioned response may not be completely erased. When the conditioned stimulus (bell) is presented again, the conditioned response (salivation) may reoccur at least initially. This spontaneous return of the learned response is known as resistance to extinction.

For example, in the case of Johnny, even though the conditioned response to the bell had been extinguished, when the bell was presented again the following day, Johnny initially salivated in response to the bell, indicating resistance to extinction. Therefore the correct answer is B). resistance to extinction.