Aaron loved to tease his best friend Sam. Aaron would say, "I bet I can make you blink at the sound of your name." When Aaron clapped his hands, Sam would blink. But now, Aaron clapped his hands just before calling out "Sam!" Eventually, Sam discovered that whenever anyone called his name loudly, he would blink. This illustrates __________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is an example of classical conditioning. Sam blinked to the sound of the clap, but then Aaron paired the clapping sound with Sam's name. Eventually, after the learning took place, Sam would blink (the response originally evoked only by the clap) to the sound of his name (the formerly neutral stimulus).

Aaron Loved to Tease His Best Friend Sam