After being bitten by a neighbor's dog, Kathy is now afraid of the puppy her family has just adopted. Kathy's father gives Kathy a hot fudge sundae; then, while she is happily eating it, he brings the puppy about fifteen feet from where she is sitting. On each successive day, Kathy gets another ice cream treat, and her father brings the puppy a little closer than he did on the previous day. Eventually Kathy is able to pet and enjoy the new puppy. Kathy's father is using a procedure known as:
A) generalization
B) stimulus discrimination
C) extinction
D) counterconditioning

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Kathy's father is using counterconditioning, which involves pairing a feared stimulus (the puppy) with a positive experience (the ice cream treat) in order to change the emotional response to the stimulus. As the pairing is repeated over time, Kathy's fear of the puppy diminishes and she is able to approach and enjoy it.

Generalization involves responding to similar stimuli in the same way, while stimulus discrimination involves responding differently to stimuli that are similar but not identical. Extinction involves gradually eliminating a learned response by ceasing to reinforce it. None of these processes are at work in this scenario.

After Being Bitten by a Neighbor's Dog, Kathy Is Now