Classical conditioning and generalisation — MRCPsych Paper A MCQ

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EasyPsychologyClassical conditioning and generalisationMRCPsych Paper A

A 22-year-old man who previously had no fear of dogs is bitten by one. He subsequently becomes anxious when he approaches unfamiliar dogs of various breeds and sizes. Which learning process best explains this?

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Correct answer: B — Stimulus generalisation after classical conditioning

The correct answer is B, stimulus generalisation after classical conditioning. The dog involved in the bite becomes associated with the aversive experience, so dog-related cues can subsequently elicit a conditioned fear response. Generalisation occurs because this response extends to other dogs despite differences in breed or size. Observational learning would require acquisition by watching another person or model rather than through the man’s direct experience. Operant shaping involves reinforcing progressively closer approximations to a target behaviour and does not explain the acquisition of fear here. Latent learning refers to learning that occurs without immediate reinforcement and becomes apparent later, while cognitive dissonance reduction concerns resolving inconsistency between beliefs, attitudes or behaviour.

Reference: Webler RD et al. The neurobiology of human fear generalization: meta-analysis and working neural model. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 2021;128:421–436. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34242718/