Higher-order conditioning
After a tone reliably makes a dog salivate, a light is repeatedly presented just before the tone, with no food. The dog begins salivating to the light. This is:
Answer D: explanation for every choice
A
Generalization is responding to stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus. A light is not similar to a tone.
B
Spontaneous recovery is the return of an extinguished response after a rest.
C
Latent learning is learning without reinforcement that appears later.
D
Correct. An established conditioned stimulus (the tone) serves as the unconditioned stimulus for conditioning a new stimulus (the light).
TakeawayHigher-order conditioning uses an existing conditioned stimulus to condition a new one.
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Reviewed 2026-11-05 by a medical student. Spot an error? Report it with question ID ps100.