A click and a scent are each separately paired with a shock and conditioned to a maximum associative value. The click and scent are then combined into a compound stimulus and subjected to further pairings with the same shock. A likely result is that the associative value of one CS will _____ and the associative value of the other CS will _____.
A) decrease; increase
B) decrease; also decrease
C) remain unchanged; remain unchanged
D) increase; also increase

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described is consistent with the concept of overshadowing in classical conditioning, where when two conditioned stimuli (CS) are presented together with an unconditioned stimulus (US), one CS may become more strongly associated with the US than the other, leading to a decrease in the associative value of the overshadowed CS. However, in this scenario, both stimuli have already been conditioned to their maximum associative value separately. When combined and presented with the unconditioned stimulus, the associative strength of both stimuli is likely to decrease because the presence of both together does not provide additional predictive value or reinforcement beyond what each has already achieved individually. This is a complex interaction not perfectly described by traditional overshadowing or blocking, but the principle that the combined associative strength of the compound stimulus does not exceed the associative strength of its components suggests that both components' associative values would decrease when combined, as they compete for associative strength with the unconditioned stimulus.

A Click and a Scent Are Each Separately Paired with a Shock