Which of the following would be an example of vicarious classical conditioning?

• A. A student studies harder after receiving praise for good grades.
• B. A child develops a fear of dogs after watching their older sibling react fearfully to a dog.
• C. A dog salivates when it hears a bell because it has been repeatedly paired with food.
• D. A person becomes nauseous after eating spoiled food.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of classical conditioning, which involves learning through association between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus, leading to a conditioned response.
2. Step 2: Recognize that vicarious classical conditioning occurs when an individual learns a conditioned response by observing someone else's reaction to a stimulus, rather than through direct experience.
3. Step 3: Analyze each option to see if the learning happens through direct experience or observation of another's response.
4. Step 4: Identify that the example where a child develops a fear of dogs after watching their older sibling react fearfully involves learning through observation, fitting the definition of vicarious classical conditioning.
5. Step 5: Confirm that other options involve direct experience or different types of learning, so they do not represent vicarious classical conditioning.