Theories of Pavlovian Conditioning

Abstract

Clarence started dating Felicia several months ago. Their very different personalities— Clarence is quiet and shy, and Felicia is outgoing and social—did not keep them from becoming close. Felicia introduced Clarence to a social life he had never before experienced; they enjoyed romantic dinners and exciting parties. Felicia was an excellent dancer, which made dancing fun. However, Clarence was not used to partying late. He had to get up early for work and felt drained the entire day after a late night out. The late nights did not seem to bother Felicia, and she was wide awake the next day, even with only a few hours of sleep. Last month, Felicia started to drink a lot of alcohol. Clarence rarely drinks more than a beer or two, and he was quite concerned about Felicia’s drinking. She called him a “lightweight” for only having one or two drinks. Clarence did not mind the teasing, but he really did not want to drink much. He thought he was in love with Felicia; however, he was troubled by some of her actions toward him. The last several times they were out, Felicia became angry and verbally abusive to him for no apparent reason. The verbal comments were very harsh, and Clarence was hurt. The next day, Felicia apologized for her behavior and promised not to be nasty again. Yet the next time they went out, Felicia again became angry and abusive. Clarence could not figure out why she became hostile, and he considered breaking off their relationship. He mentioned his concerns to his friend Jared. To Clarence’s surprise, Jared said he knew why Felicia became hostile: The alcohol was to blame. Jared also said he felt frightened when Felicia started to drink. Clarence was not sure that Jared was right, but he decided he would pay close attention to the amount Felicia drank and whether she became hostile afterward. He was hopeful that this was the reason for her hostility, but he was not sure what he would do if it was.