Each time Isabella sits down to feed her baby a bottle, she gently strokes the baby's head. One day, Isabella began stroking her daughter's head and noticed that the baby started sucking, even though it was not feeding time. The baby's association between having her head stroked and the presentation of food is an example of ______.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This scenario is an example of classical conditioning, where a neutral stimulus (head stroking) becomes associated with a natural response (feeding) through repeated pairings. The baby has learned to associate the two stimuli and responds accordingly. Operant conditioning involves learning based on the consequences of behavior, reciprocal determinism involves the interaction between personal factors and the environment, and social learning involves learning by observing others.

Each Time Isabella Sits Down to Feed Her Baby a Bottle