AP Psychology Exam Prep

Answer: C - When conducting operant learning, an individual will likely go back to instinctive behavior which is an example of instinctive drift.
Key Takeaway: Instinctive drift is when an organism just goes back to doing things the way their instinct tells them to. If you teach a rat to salivate at the sound of a bell using classical conditioning, it is only a matter of time when instinctive drift interferes with the learning. The rat then goes back to salivating in response to the smell of its food because of instinct. Instinct is a powerful motivator and it is important in the survival of an organism, This makes it much more lasting than any response that is taught.