In conditioning, the process of a light paired with a bell (the CS) eventually eliciting salivation is called what?

• A. Generalization
• B. Extinction
• C. Spontaneous recovery
• D. Higher-order conditioning

Answer: (D)

Higher-order conditioning is when a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus by being paired with an already established conditioned stimulus. In this example, the bell has already become a cue that predicts food and elicits salivation. When a light is paired with that bell, the light begins to take on predictive power as well. After enough pairings, the light alone will trigger salivation, even without the bell or food. This shows how a new cue can gain conditioned status by associating with an existing CS, not by being paired with the unconditioned stimulus directly.