When people experience a traumatic event, they can sometimes develop classically conditioned associations with otherwise unrelated stimuli that were present in the environment at the time of the trauma. Imagine this happens to Fredrick with a song playing on the radio during a car accident. What would be likely to happen if Fredrick continues to hear that same song many times after the car accident, without anything else bad happening at the same time (i.e. no more traumatic events coinciding with the song playing)?
A)generalization
B)extinction
C)habituation
D)spontaneous recovery
E)strengthening of the association

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Fredrick's conditioned response to the song (e.g., fear or anxiety) would likely decrease over time if he continues to hear the song without experiencing any additional trauma. This process is known as extinction, where the conditioned response diminishes when the conditioned stimulus (the song) is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus (the traumatic event).

When People Experience a Traumatic Event, They Can Sometimes Develop