Question

in which of the following scenarios is someone showing evidence of extinction in classical conditioning?
a after a painful procedure at the hospital, erin experiences anxiety any time she sees a hospital.

b randy was always worried about his exams in high school and felt anxiety when in the building. however, now that he is a teacher at the same high school the anxiety has gone away.

c marta always associated her mother’s fruitcake with the happiness of the holidays. after being on her own for some time the fruitcake no longer had that association, but when a colleague brought a fruitcake to work she felt the happiness return.

d after his first kiss at a school dance, lester not only gets a warm feeling every time he hears the song that was playing during the kiss, but also whenever he hears a song by the same artist.

Explanation:

To determine the scenario with extinction in classical conditioning, we analyze each option:

• Option A: Shows acquisition (forming a conditioned response to the hospital), not extinction.
• Option B: Randy had a conditioned anxiety response to the high - school building (from exam worry). Now, as a teacher, the anxiety (conditioned response) has disappeared. This matches extinction, where the conditioned response weakens when the conditioned stimulus (high - school building) is presented without the unconditioned stimulus (exam - related worry, which is no longer relevant in his new role).
• Option C: This is spontaneous recovery (the return of a previously extinguished response), not extinction.
• Option D: This is stimulus generalization (responding to similar stimuli), not extinction.

Answer:

B. Randy was always worried about his exams in high school and felt anxiety when in the building. However, now that he is a teacher at the same high school the anxiety has gone away.