The owner of a standard transmission car borrows a friend's car that happens to have an automatic transmission. Upon driving away from the friend's house and approaching a red traffic light he extends his left foot against the floorboard. The behavior may be explained by Thorndike's

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The behavior can be explained by Thorndike's law of response by analogy, which suggests that individuals may respond to new situations based on their responses to similar past situations. In this case, the driver is used to driving a manual transmission car and instinctively uses their left foot as they would for the clutch, even though the car is automatic.

The Owner of a Standard Transmission Car Borrows a Friend's