Question

5-year-old Laurence observes his father yelling at Laurence's sister after she dropped and broke her dinner plate while removing it from the table. Thereafter, due to __________, Laurence is very cautious when removing his own plate.

a) classical conditioning
b) observational learning
c) operant conditioning
d) habituation

Answer 1

The correct answer is option b) observational learning.

Step-by-step explanation:

Laurence is demonstrating observational learning, which occurs when an individual learns a behavior by watching someone else. Observational learning differs from classical and operant conditioning, which are both forms of associative learning that involve stimuli and consequences directly experienced by the learner.

In this case, Laurence observed the negative consequence his sister experienced (being yelled at) when she accidentally broke her dinner plate. To avoid a similar negative outcome, Laurence becomes cautious when removing his own plate, showing that he has learned from his sister's experience without having to go through it himself.