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Victor went to a local restaurant for a meal with friends - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 10 - 2022 - Paper 1
Question 10
Victor went to a local restaurant for a meal with friends. He ate pasta with a fish sauce but shortly afterwards he felt very poorly and was sick. Two weeks later V... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Victor went to a local restaurant for a meal with friends - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 10 - 2022 - Paper 1
Step 1
Using classical conditioning, describe why Victor may no longer want to go to the restaurant.
Answer
In the context of classical conditioning, the experience Victor had can be understood as follows: The unconditioned stimulus would be the pasta with fish sauce that caused him to feel sick, which is the unconditioned response. The restaurant served as the neutral stimulus that initially did not evoke any reactions from him. However, after associating the unpleasant feeling of sickness with the fish sauce, this led to a conditioned response. Thus, when Victor later encountered the smell of the fish sauce near the restaurant, it triggered a conditioned response of feeling sick, leading him to want to avoid the restaurant.
Step 2
Explain two weaknesses of classical conditioning as an explanation of human behaviour.
Answer
The first weakness of classical conditioning is that it cannot adequately explain complex human behavior, such as the fear responses that individuals may exhibit, which can be influenced by a variety of factors, including social context and individual experiences. This limitation arises because classical conditioning often focuses solely on the paired associations in limited contexts, thereby oversimplifying the intricacies of human emotions and behaviors.
The second weakness is that evidence supporting classical conditioning tends to originate from animal studies. Consequently, these findings may not fully translate to human behaviors, as humans possess more complex cognitive functions and social influences. This gap suggests that while classical conditioning may explain some learned behaviors, it does not account for the range of human experiences and nuances in behavior.