Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Practice Exam

In behavioral theory, a child's fear of rain after a traumatic hurricane experience is an example of what?

1. Vicarious conditioning

2. Classical conditioning

3. Operant conditioning

4. Negative reinforcement

The correct answer is: Classical conditioning

The situation described illustrates classical conditioning, which is a learning process discovered by Ivan Pavlov. In this theory, a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a significant stimulus that elicits a natural response. In the case of the child experiencing fear of rain after a hurricane, the traumatic experience (the significant stimulus) is paired with the sound and arrival of rain (the neutral stimulus). After the traumatic event, the child may begin to feel fear whenever it rains, even if the rain itself is not threatening. This response demonstrates how an emotional reaction (fear) can be conditioned through the pairing of a previously neutral stimulus (rain) with a frightening event (hurricane). Therefore, the child's learned fear of rain is a direct result of classical conditioning, where the previous trauma has altered the child's emotional response to a related environmental element. The other options focus on different aspects of learning that do not apply in this scenario. Vicarious conditioning involves learning through observation of others and their experiences, which is not relevant here. Operant conditioning deals with the use of rewards or punishments to modify behavior, and negative reinforcement specifically refers to the removal of an undesirable stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. These concepts do not explain the conditioned fear response exhibited