Baby Abbey is playing with her favorite toy rattle when her mom drops an armful of pots and pans behind her.The loud noise makes her startle and cry.Subsequently,on seeing her rattle,she cries.However,Mom continues to give Baby Abbey her favorite rattle and doesn't drop any more pots and pans.We can expect that Baby Abbey's crying when seeing the rattle willsoon be ____.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Extinction refers to the process of weakening and eventually eliminating a conditioned response by withholding reinforcement. In this scenario, Baby Abbey's crying when seeing the rattle is a conditioned response caused by the loud noise that initially startled her. However, if she is consistently given the rattle without any further negative reinforcement (i.e. no more pots and pans being dropped), the association between the rattle and the loud noise will gradually weaken and eventually be extinguished. Therefore, the best choice is A.

Baby Abbey Is Playing with Her Favorite Toy Rattle When