Rafael's brother always says, "I'm going to get you," just before he hits Rafael. Alan's brother sometimes says, "I'm going to get you" just before he hits Alan; other times he says the words but doesn't actually hit Alan. What should you predict about Rafael's response when the boys hear the words "I'm going to get you," based on the work by Rescorla?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Rescorla's work, the strength of a conditioned response is determined by the reliability and predictiveness of the conditioned stimulus. In this case, Rafael's brother always hits him after saying "I'm going to get you," while Alan's brother only sometimes hits him. Therefore, Rafael's response is likely to be a stronger conditioned response than Alan's, because the pairing between the stimulus and the outcome is more reliable and predictable for Rafael. This is choice B.

Rafael's Brother Always Says, "I'm Going to Get You," Just