A little boy is allowed to play with a laboratory rat and shows no fear of it. Then, a scientist makes a scary noise by banging an iron bar whenever the little boy reaches
For the rat. Soon, the boy begins crying whenever the rat comes near him. In this study,
The boy's fear of the rat is the ______.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The boy's fear of the rat is a learned behavior, which means it is a conditioned response to the rat. The loud noise made by the scientist while the boy was reaching for the rat became a conditioned stimulus that elicited fear in the boy, which is the conditioned response. The rat on its own did not elicit fear, which rules out options A and B.

A Little Boy Is Allowed to Play with a Laboratory