Irinia's dog loves food. Her dog learned to associate the sound of the can opener with being fed long ago, and always gets excited whenever he hears that appliance. Irinia recently bought a new espresso machine that she has started using every morning just before feeding her dog. She's noticed that on the rare occasion when she makes a latte in the afternoon, her dog becomes excited and runs over to the spot he usually gets fed. What concept does this example demonstrate?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This example demonstrates higher-order conditioning, where the dog has learned to associate a new stimulus (the sound of the espresso machine) with the original conditioned stimulus (the sound of the can opener) that signals food is coming.

Irinia's Dog Loves Food