Which of the following statements is true?
A The CS is always identical to the US.
B Backward conditioning produces little responding.
C Simultaneous conditioning produces more responding than delay conditioning.
D Trace conditioning produces more responding than delay conditioning.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is B: Backward conditioning produces little responding.
Explanation:
In classical conditioning, the relationship between the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the unconditioned stimulus (US) is crucial for the development of a conditioned response (CR). The different types of conditioning procedures are defined by how the CS and US are presented relative to each other in time.
- Backward conditioning involves presenting the US before the CS. This means the US occurs first, and then the CS follows. This type of conditioning is generally less effective because the organism does not have an opportunity to predict the US based on the CS. In essence, the CS does not serve as a reliable signal for the US, leading to weaker or minimal conditioning. As a result, backward conditioning usually produces little or no conditioned response.
- Delay conditioning involves presenting the CS just before the US and allowing the CS to remain until the US is delivered. This is one of the most effective methods for producing strong conditioning because the CS can serve as a predictor for the US.
- Trace conditioning occurs when there is a brief gap between the end of the CS and the onset of the US. While not as effective as delay conditioning, trace conditioning can still lead to strong responses if the interval between the two stimuli is brief.
- Simultaneous conditioning presents the CS and US at exactly the same time. While this does result in some conditioning, it is generally less effective than delay conditioning because the CS does not provide predictive information about the US’s occurrence. As such, simultaneous conditioning does not usually produce stronger responses than delay conditioning.
Thus, backward conditioning is least effective in producing responding, making option B the true statement.