Final answer:
Vicarious conditioning is learning through the experience of others, which explains why some Americans were traumatized by watching the 9/11 events on media. Watson and Rayner's experiment with Little Albert demonstrated stimulus generalization. Extensive media coverage can also lead to socialization changes and affect public perception of events like crime rates.
Step-by-step explanation:
The impact that watching media coverage of traumatic events has on individuals illustrates vicarious conditioning, or secondhand conditioning, as the student experiences emotional reactions triggered by observing someone else's experience, without direct exposure to the event themselves. This is different from higher order acquisition, instrumental conditioning, or response chaining, as vicarious conditioning involves learning through the experience of others. An example of this phenomenon was observed during and after the September 11th terrorist attacks, where many Americans felt traumatized after watching media coverage of the events. Similarly, counselors can develop trauma responses through exposure to the traumatic stories of the victims they help, further illustrating vicarious conditioning.
In Watson and Rayner's experiments with Little Albert, his conditioned fear of a white rat spreading to other similar furry objects is an example of stimulus generalization where a conditioned response is triggered by stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus. This generalization indicates how an individual's conditioned response can extend beyond the initially learned stimulus.
As we consume media, whether violent or not, the content can socialize us and potentially lead to behavior changes, such as desensitization to violence or an increase in aggressive thoughts and actions, as documented in various studies. Significant events can have particularly strong effects, such as the widespread reaction to viewing coverage of the September 11 attacks or other national crises. This exposure not only affects our socialization but can also influence public perception, for instance, by causing people to overestimate crime rates after consuming extensive media coverage of crime.