When the family dog licks the faces of the children in the family,they laugh and give the dog a treat.When the dog licks the faces of the parents,they scold the dog.As a result,the dog no longer licks the faces of the parents,but continues to lick the faces of the children.The children's faces would be an example of a(n)________ for the dog licking their faces:

Question

When the family dog licks the faces of the children in the family,they laugh and give the dog a treat.When the dog licks the faces of the parents,they scold the dog.As a result,the dog no longer licks the faces of the parents,but continues to lick the faces of the children.The children's faces would be an example of a(n)________ for the dog licking their faces:​

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The children's faces are an example of a discriminative stimulus for the dog's licking behavior. The dog has learned through conditioning that licking the children's faces results in a positive consequence (receiving a treat), while licking the parents' faces results in a negative consequence (being scolded). Therefore, the dog has discriminated between the two stimuli and only licks the faces of the children, who serve as a cue for the desired behavior.

When the Family Dog Licks the Faces of the Children