Rats were first trained to associate a light with the presence of water then they were placed in a new chamber where they were shaped to press a lever. If a light is paired with the left-hand lever they should press that more often than the right because of the protocol of _______________.
A) first-order conditioning
B) classical conditioning
C) second-order conditioning
D) operant conditioning

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Second-order conditioning occurs when a conditioned stimulus is paired with a new stimulus, leading to the new stimulus also becoming a conditioned stimulus. In this scenario, the rats were first conditioned to associate a light with water (first-order conditioning). Then, the light (now a conditioned stimulus from the first phase) is paired with pressing a specific lever, making the act of pressing the lever when the light is on a conditioned response, which is an example of second-order conditioning.

Rats Were First Trained to Associate a Light with the Presence