Because Carrie's friend Emily often brings home-baked goodies when she visits, Carrie feels her mouth water at the sight of Emily. For one week Emily, brought her cousin Michelle with her whenever she visited Carrie. A few weeks later, Carrie bumped into Michelle at the store. In this scenario, blocking would be demonstrated if Carrie:
A) no longer feels her mouth water when she sees Emily.
B) still feels her mouth water when she sees Emily.
C) does not feel her mouth water when she sees Michelle at the store.
D) feels her mouth water when she sees Michelle at the store.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Blocking occurs when a previously learned association prevents the learning of a new association. In this scenario, Carrie's association of Emily with home-baked goodies is well established. When Michelle is introduced alongside Emily, the presence of Emily (the original stimulus) blocks the association between Michelle and the goodies, leading to no conditioned response (mouth watering) when Carrie sees Michelle alone.

Because Carrie's Friend Emily Often Brings Home-Baked Goodies When She