Suppose That a Friend Asks You to Drive Him to the Airport

question 109

Essay

Suppose that a friend asks you to drive him to the airport this weekend so he can catch a flight. He pays you for the gas used driving to the airport, and for the cost of parking the car at the airport while you help him in with his bags. He then declares that you are now "even," since he has fully compensated you for any costs you incurred in helping him get to his flight. From your perspective, what aspects of the "price" of taking your friend to the airport has he omitted?

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Definitions:

Pavlovian Conditioning

A learning process that involves associating a previously neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit a conditioned response similar to the unconditioned response.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

A previously neutral stimulus that, after being repeatedly presented prior to an unconditioned stimulus, elicits a conditioned response.

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

A stimulus that elicits a reaction automatically, without any pre-existing learning required.

Vicarious Conditioning

The development of the conditioned response to a stimulus after observation of the pairing of conditioned stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (UCS).