Jerry is 22 years old and still gets cavities from eating too many sweets. Jerry's dentist trains him to think of the pain of having his teeth drilled each time he reaches for a piece of candy. The dentist is using ________ to cure Jerry's excessive intake of sweets.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The dentist is using aversive conditioning to associate the pleasure of eating sweets with the pain of having his teeth drilled, in order to reduce Jerry's tendency to eat too many sweets. Behavior contracting involves creating a formal agreement to modify behavior, desensitization involves gradually exposing someone to a feared object or situation to reduce anxiety or fear, and negative transference involves projecting negative feelings onto someone else based on past experiences.

Jerry Is 22 Years Old and Still Gets Cavities from Eating