Higher Order Conditioning Example

When it comes to classical conditioning, we often think of the iconic reflexive responses that Pavlov's dogs exhibited. However, there's more to this type of learning than just simple associations between two stimuli. Higher order conditioning is an advanced level of classical conditioning that involves more than one stimulus. In this article, we'll explore what higher order conditioning is, how it works, and provide an example.

What Is Higher Order Conditioning?

Higher order conditioning occurs when a conditioned stimulus (CS) is paired with a neutral stimulus (NS) to elicit a conditional response (CR) that is similar to the response to the original unconditioned stimulus (US). In other words, instead of the CS being paired with the US, it's paired with a new neutral stimulus which will then become conditioned to elicit the response.

How Does Higher Order Conditioning Work?

Higher order conditioning is based on the idea of associative learning, which means that the brain learns to associate two stimuli that occur together. In this case, the original CS has already been associated with a US, and now a new NS will become associated with the CS.

Higher Order Conditioning Example

Let's take an example to better understand higher order conditioning. Suppose you have a dog that is afraid of the vacuum cleaner. The sound of the vacuum is an unconditioned stimulus (US) that naturally triggers a fear response (UR) in the dog. With classical conditioning, you could pair the sound of a bell (a neutral stimulus) with the vacuum, so the dog starts associating the bell with the vacuum and exhibits the same fear response.

Now, suppose you want to condition the dog to the sound of a doorbell (NS) to elicit the same fear response, but the dog is not naturally afraid of this sound. In this case, you could use higher order conditioning by pairing the bell (CS) with the doorbell, over and over again. After a few trials, the dog will learn to associate the doorbell (NS) with the sound of the bell (CS), and will exhibit the same fear response to both stimuli.

Download Our Higher Order Conditioning Example Document

If you're looking to better understand different types of classical conditioning, download our Higher Order Conditioning Example DOCX document. It includes in-depth information on higher order conditioning, how it works, and a detailed example. Use this document to learn more about this fascinating topic and take your knowledge of classical conditioning to the next level!

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