George is trying to teach his two-year old son to gently caress their cat. George softly strokes the animal and every time his son does the same, he rewards him with kind words like "good job!" The child is very attentive during the process and claps his hands when his father praises him. However, as soon as George leaves, the boy lunges for the cat and grabs it by the tail. Which process of social-learning theory is failing?
A) reinforcement processes
B) justification processes
C) retention processes
D) motor reproduction processes
E) attentional processes

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The retention processes refer to the ability to remember and store information in memory. In this scenario, the child seems to be attentive during the process and can imitate the gentle stroking but is not able to retain the information when George is not around. This suggests a failure in the retention processes, leading to the child's inability to apply the learned behavior consistently. The other processes (attentional, reinforcement, justification, and motor reproduction) seem to be functioning appropriately in this scenario.

George Is Trying to Teach His Two-Year Old Son to Gently