Question 41

Luis's fear response can best be explained by stimulus discrimination.

Luis's ability to differentiate between the specific breed of dog that bit him and other breeds indicates that he has developed a conditioned fear response that is selective, demonstrating stimulus discrimination.

A) Negative reinforcement

Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an aversive stimulus to strengthen behavior, but it does not explain why Luis only fears a specific breed of dog. This principle does not account for the selective nature of his fear response.

B) Successive approximations

Successive approximations refer to the gradual reinforcement of behaviors that are closer to a desired behavior. This concept does not apply to Luis's fear response, as his reaction is not about shaping behavior but rather about differentiating between stimuli.

C) Stimulus generalization

Stimulus generalization occurs when a conditioned response is triggered by stimuli similar to the original conditioned stimulus. In Luis's case, he does not exhibit fear towards all dogs, which contradicts this principle. Instead, he specifically reacts to the breed that caused his fear.

D) Stimulus discrimination

Stimulus discrimination is the ability to distinguish between different stimuli, allowing an individual to respond differently to similar but distinct stimuli. Luis's fear being limited to a particular breed of dog highlights his capacity for stimulus discrimination, as he does not fear all dogs.

Conclusion

The correct answer is stimulus discrimination because it accurately describes Luis's selective fear response to only one breed of dog, distinguishing it from other dogs. The other options fail to account for this specificity, as they either misinterpret the nature of his fear or do not apply to the situation at all.