Mandy has learned that whenever her father comes home drunk, he is likely to beat her, so she usually goes to her friend's house before he has the chance. In this situation, the father's coming home drunk is:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The father's coming home drunk is a pre-aversive stimulus because it is a signal that predicts the aversive or negative event of being beaten, prompting Mandy to avoid it by leaving before the negative event occurs. It is not a punishment since it has not been intentionally applied to decrease the likelihood of Mandy's behavior, and it is not an unconditioned stimulus since it is not a naturally occurring stimulus that elicits a response without prior learning.

Mandy Has Learned That Whenever Her Father Comes Home Drunk