Little Harold overcame his fear of water after two bullies had held him under the water. Although he swam the rest of the season without noticeable fear, on the first day of swimming the next summer, he began to cry and said he was scared. What had occurred?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a previously extinguished response after a period of time without exposure to the conditioned stimulus. In this case, Little Harold had overcome his fear of water after being held under by bullies and had swam without fear for the rest of the season. However, the next summer, he cried and expressed fear again, indicating a reappearance of his fear response after a period without exposure to water/swimming.

Little Harold Overcame His Fear of Water After Two Bullies