Two-year-old Philip was recently clawed by the neighbor's cat.Philip now fears all small animals.His fear demonstrates the process of
A) generalization.
B) operant conditioning.
C) spontaneous recovery.
D) extinction.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Philip's fear of all small animals after being clawed by the neighbor's cat is an example of generalization. Generalization occurs when a response (in this case, fear) is elicited not just by the specific stimulus (the cat) but also by similar stimuli (other small animals). This is a common process in classical conditioning.

Two-Year-Old Philip Was Recently Clawed by the Neighbor's Cat