Six-year-old Kristen is afraid of balloons because a balloon once popped in her face while she was holding it. Last week, she went to the circus and there was a clown holding a huge assortment of helium balloons. Now she is also afraid of clowns, even though none of the balloons the clown was holding popped. Kristen's fear of clowns illustrates the classical conditioning process of
A)higher-order conditioning.
B)preparedness.
C)spontaneous recovery.
D)the renewal effect.

Question

Six-year-old Kristen is afraid of balloons because a balloon once popped in her face while she was holding it. Last week, she went to the circus and there was a clown holding a huge assortment of helium balloons. Now she is also afraid of clowns, even though none of the balloons the clown was holding popped. Kristen's fear of clowns illustrates the classical conditioning process of ​
A)higher-order conditioning. ​
B)preparedness.
C)spontaneous recovery.
D)the renewal effect.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Higher-order conditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus through association with an already established conditioned stimulus. In Kristen's case, the clown (initially a neutral stimulus) became a conditioned stimulus that now triggers fear, due to its association with the balloons (the original conditioned stimulus that caused fear).

Six-Year-Old Kristen Is Afraid of Balloons Because a Balloon Once