What procedure did the behavior analyst use with Judy, to make her no longer fearful of squirrels? When Judy was a child, a squirrel bit her.  This resulted in Judy having an extreme fear of squirrels in adulthood.  \r\n\r\nLast week, a behavior analyst began working with Judy to decrease her fear of squirrels.  She took Judy to the park where she frequently saw squirrels but was never bitten by one.  Eventually, Judy was no longer afraid of squirrels.  \r\n\r\n

Respondent extinction

Correct Answer: Respondent Extinction. The squirrel became a conditioned punisher because it was paired with the pain of her being bit as a child. The behavior analyst used respondent conditioning to un-pair the conditioned punisher (the squirrel) with the unconditioned punisher (the pain of being bit). The behavior analyst did this by repeatedly putting Judy in the presence of squirrels, without being bit. Over time, the squirrel became a neutral stimulus again because it was no longer paired with the pain Judy experienced by being bit by one as a child. Because the answer involved stimulus-stimulus pairing, operant conditioning and operant extinction are incorrect. Respondent conditioning is incorrect since this helps a neutral stimulus become a conditioned reinforcer or punisher.*##**##*