David is addicted to a drug that increases his blood sugar level, temporarily giving him more energy. David always takes this drug in the bathroom. He finds that he becomes tired when he enters the bathroom and also that he needs more and more of the drug to maintain the same high energy level. From the perspective of classical conditioning, which one of the following is the most likely explanation of David's increasing addiction to the drug?
A) Lowering blood sugar level to counteract the effect of the drug has become a conditioned response to the "bathroom" stimulus.
B) David has learned to respond to some drugs but not to others through the combined processes of stimulus discrimination and higher-order conditioning.
C) Taking the drugs provides negative reinforcement, in that David no longer feels tired.
D) Associative bias has predisposed David to associate the bathroom with fatigue.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The bathroom, where David always takes the drug, has become a conditioned stimulus that elicits a conditioned response of lowering blood sugar level in anticipation of the drug's effect. This anticipatory response could make him feel tired upon entering the bathroom and contribute to his increasing need for the drug to achieve the same energy-boosting effects.

David Is Addicted to a Drug That Increases His Blood