Classify Each of the Following Situations as Involving Either Classical

question 54

Essay

Classify each of the following situations as involving either classical conditioning or operant conditioning. In each case, defend your answer by analyzing the situation within the context of the learning paradigm you have chosen.
a. A father reminds his son James to be quiet at the dinner table. James stops talking, and his father smiles at him.
b. Ralph's friend offers him an illegal drug. Ralph takes the drug and finds that it makes him feel euphoric. Ralph begins to buy the drug himself and takes it more and more frequently.
c. Linda is a bright, academically capable girl. Once, when she was sick, she failed an important test. Now she is very anxious whenever she takes a test.

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Definitions:

Reflex

An involuntary response, one that is not under personal control or choice.

Newborn

Refers to a baby from birth to about 2 months of age, characterized by rapid physical growth and developmental changes.

Spontaneous Abortion

A medical term often used to describe a miscarriage, which is the natural loss of a fetus before it is viable outside the womb.

Miscarriage

The spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before the fetus can survive independently, often occurring before the 20th week of gestation.