A researcher wants to look at the phenomenon of LATENT INHIBITION . In their exp

Question

A researcher wants to look at the phenomenon of LATENT INHIBITION. In their experiment, conducted on rats, a 30 second clicking noise was used as the CS and the US was a mild shock to the feet. The researchers wanted to determine whether previous exposure to the clicking noise would subsequently slow down the acquisition of conditioned fear responses to the clicking noise. In other words, could they demonstrate latent inhibition?

What will your independent variable be? (Hint: you’ll need more than two groups – what will the other group(s) be and what do they control for?

What will your dependent variable be? (Hint: It is a measure commonly used for fear conditioning)

Explanation / Answer

The independent variable is conditioned stimulus familiarity. This experiment can utlisize three groups. One group of rats will be exposed to conditioned stimulus (clicking noise) before the CS - US pairing. The second group of rats will be exposed to another sound (such as a honking noise) prior to the CS - US pairing. The third group of rats will be the control group which will not be exposed to any stimulus before the CS - US pairing. The dependent variable in this case is avoidance learning.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse A
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.