Taylor works in the psychology department's rat lab. In her studies, she found that many of her lab rats would develop a conditioned taste aversion to certain foods after as little as one trial. Taylor's psychology professor refers to this as a classic example of __________.
A) biological preparedness
B) psychological preparedness
C) instinctive drift
D) stimulus substitution

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Biological preparedness is the concept that certain associations between stimuli and responses are learned more easily than others because of innate predispositions or biological factors. In this case, the rats may be biologically prepared to quickly learn a conditioned taste aversion as a survival mechanism to avoid potentially harmful foods. The other options (B) psychological preparedness, (C) instinctive drift, and (D) stimulus substitution do not fully explain why the rat lab rats develop a conditioned taste aversion after one trial.

Taylor Works in the Psychology Department's Rat Lab