Ellen was kicked by a horse as a child. She now has a severe fear of horses. Even pictures of horses can make her sweat and feel anxious. Ellen's behavior demonstrates _____ conditioning.

Question

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Ellen's fear response to pictures of horses is an example of classical conditioning. The horse kicking her as a child is the unconditioned stimulus that produced an unconditioned response of pain and fear. After repeated pairings of the horse with the pain and fear, Ellen's fear became a conditioned response that generalized to other stimuli associated with horses, such as pictures.

Ellen Was Kicked by a Horse as a Child