Order Conditioning Example

Higher Order Conditioning is a fascinating concept in psychology that explores the ways in which a conditioned stimulus (CS) can be associated with a new stimulus through repeated pairings. To better understand this phenomenon, let's dive into an example.

Example of Higher Order Conditioning

Imagine you have a dog named Max, and you want to teach him to associate the sound of a bell (CS1) with getting a treat. You repeatedly ring the bell just before giving Max a delicious treat (unconditioned stimulus or US). After a few repetitions, Max starts to salivate (conditioned response or CR) whenever he hears the bell.

Now, let's take this a step further with higher order conditioning. You introduce a new stimulus, a clicker (CS2), in addition to the bell. However, this time, you pair the clicker with the bell, followed by the treat. After several pairings, Max starts to associate the clicker with the bell, and eventually, he begins to salivate (CR) when he hears the clicker alone, without the bell present.

Here, the clicker has become a conditioned stimulus (CS2) through the process of higher order conditioning. It acquired its significance by being paired with the bell (CS1), which was already associated with the treat (US).

The Process of Extinction

While higher order conditioning demonstrates how new stimuli can become associated with existing conditioned stimuli, it's important to understand the process of extinction. Extinction occurs when a conditioned response (CR) weakens or diminishes over time due to the absence of the unconditioned stimulus (US).

In our example, if you stop giving Max treats when he hears the clicker alone, the association between the clicker (CS2) and the treat (US) will gradually weaken. Eventually, Max will salivate less and less in response to the clicker alone, until the conditioned response is extinguished.

Explore More with Our Higher Order Conditioning Example PDF

Interested in delving deeper into higher order conditioning or exploring other psychological concepts? You can download our Higher Order Conditioning Example PDF from BizzLibrary.com for a comprehensive guide. Our document provides detailed explanations, real-life examples, and valuable insights into this intriguing topic.

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