Research showing that animals classically conditioned to salivate to a tone that is always paired with food make a stronger conditioned response than animals conditioned to salivate to a tone that is sometimes paired with food. This is evidence that which factor is most important in classical conditioning?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This research suggests that the extent to which the CS (the tone) predicts the US (the food) is the most important factor in classical conditioning. Animals that always receive food with the tone develop a stronger association between the two, while animals that only sometimes receive food with the tone have a weaker association. The other factors (time between CS and US, similarity between CS and US) may also play a role in classical conditioning, but this research specifically points to the predictive ability of the CS as being most important.

Research Showing That Animals Classically Conditioned to Salivate to a Tone