Ertha became conditioned to cry every time she saw an onion chopper because she associated it with cutting onions, which always made her eyes water. For weeks, the onion cutter sat on the counter with no onions. Eventually she never cried when she saw the cutter. Then the onion cutter disappeared for two months, and when Bertha saw it again for the first time, she began to cry. This response is known as

a. positive reinforcement.

b. negative reinforcement.

c. spontaneous recovery.

d. reconditioning

Question

Social Studies

Cesar Lynch

23 March, 05:29

Ertha became conditioned to cry every time she saw an onion chopper because she associated it with cutting onions, which always made her eyes water. For weeks, the onion cutter sat on the counter with no onions. Eventually she never cried when she saw the cutter. Then the onion cutter disappeared for two months, and when Bertha saw it again for the first time, she began to cry. This response is known as

a. positive reinforcement.

b. negative reinforcement.

c. spontaneous recovery.

d. reconditioning

+2

Answers (1)

Know the Answer?

Harmony Grant · Answer 1

The answer is c. spontaneous recovery.

Explanation:

In classical and operant conditioning, spontaneous recovery refers to the sudden reapparition of the response to a stimulus, even when it was believed to be extinct. Spontaneous recovery usually occurs after a period in which the conditioned stimulus was not present, as in the example.

This phenomenon is important to understand that an extinct behaviour is not the same as an unlearned behaviour.