Mrs. Blue wants to help her young daycare children calm down after lunch recess and rest for thirty minutes. These children are between the ages of 3 and 4 . They eat lunch, play outside for a short time, and then come indoors for a rest period

Question

Explain how Mrs. Blue might use contiguous pairing of a song and the room's lighting to develop a conditioned response from these young children in order to create a calm, quiet environment for their afternoon rest period.

Explain how classical conditioning is involved.

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Suggested Response:
Mrs. Blue might do the following.
Begin singing a quiet song and lead the children to their mats. Then dim the lights in the room. These contiguous actions set the tone for the children to be calm and quiet. Repeat the same song and dimming of the lights as children are led to their mats every day after recess.
After several days of following this procedure, the children are likely to follow the steps automatically. They are likely to experience a slower heart rate and a lower energy level. The quiet song and dim lights become associated with sitting or lying quietly on their mats.
Initially the song and the dim lighting are neutral stimuli. In time, they become the conditioned stimuli. The slower heart rate, lower energy level, and calming are the conditioned response.
Text Reference: Early Explanations of Learning: Contiguity and Classical Conditioning