Question

Taste aversions are a type of classical conditioning, and if there is a long delay between the CS and US, conditioning is usually prevented. The fact that people and animals can develop taste aversions, even though sickness occurs long after eating, indicates that

a. taste aversions are really a type of systematic desensitization.

b. taste aversions can be unlearned as well

c. there is a biological tendency to associate sickness with any food eaten earlier.

d. there is less aversion associated with the actual sickness than with whatever caused the sickness in the first place.

Answer 1

The ability of humans and animals to develop taste aversions despite long delays between eating (CS) and sickness (US) suggests a biological predisposition to link food with illness. This is thought to be an evolutionary trait that enhances survival by helping to avoid potentially harmful foods.

Step-by-step explanation:

The fact that people and animals can develop taste aversions even when sickness occurs long after eating indicates that there is a biological tendency to associate sickness with any food eaten earlier. Classical conditioning typically requires a close temporal proximity between the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the unconditioned stimulus (US), but taste aversion is an exception. Research suggests that this form of learning may be an evolutionary adaptation aimed at avoiding potentially harmful foods, critical for the survival of a species. This adaptation is so potent that it can override the usual requirements for temporal closeness between the CS and US that are common in other forms of classical conditioning.

Studies like those conducted by Garcia and Koelling (1966), and Ader and Cohen (1975 and 2001) not only demonstrate the possibility of creating conditioning-based taste aversions, but also that classical conditioning can be powerful enough to affect the immune system, resulting in conditions where the taste of certain substances can trigger immunosuppression.