You Wish to Help an Aging Family Friend Who Is

question 136

Essay

You wish to help an aging family friend who is showing early signs of Alzheimer's disease.You hear about an inexpensive nutritional supplement that is supposed to slow or even reverse some of the memory losses associated with the onset of the disorder.Describe some of the steps you might take in thinking critically about the potential value of the supplement.

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Definitions:

Operant Conditioning

A system of education where the level of a response is modified through reinforcement or deterrents.

Classical Conditioning

A learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus, leading to a learned response.

Primary Reinforcer

A stimulus that satisfies a basic survival need and is inherently reinforcing without learning, such as food, water, or warmth.

Negative Reinforcement

involves the strengthening of a behavior because a negative condition is stopped or avoided as a consequence of the behavior.