Dr.Baptista is attempting to train both birds and rodents to fear a clicking sound by pairing the click with presentation of shock.The birds respond with fear to the clicking sound very early in the experiment,but the rodents take a long time to learn.Dr.Baptista notes that the rodents' mating calls sound very much like the clicking noises used in the experiment.What would explain the rodents' slow learning in this study

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The similarity between the clicking sound used in the experiment and the rodents' mating calls suggests that there may be a biological constraint on their ability to learn to fear this particular sound. This is consistent with the idea of evolved traits in species that may facilitate or hinder certain types of learning. Additionally, the fact that the birds learn more quickly may indicate that fear conditioning is more effective in avian species. There is no evidence to support learning deficits during mating season or a general deficit in learning ability in this particular species of rodents.

DrBaptista Is Attempting to Train Both Birds and Rodents to Fear