Two different stimuli (a light and a tone) are separately turned into conditioned inhibitors for an excitatory food stimulus (signaled by a buzzer). Then light and tone are put in compound and presented together without food for many trials. The Rescorla-Wagner model would predict that on each conditioning trial,
A) the tone will become less inhibitory as the light becomes more inhibitory.
B) the light will become less inhibitory as the tone becomes more inhibitory.
C) both the light and the tone will become more inhibitory until both are twice as inhibitory as they were at the start of training.
D) both light and tone will lose inhibition.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Rescorla-Wagner model predicts that when two conditioned inhibitors are presented together in compound, their inhibitory strength will decrease because the compound predicts the absence of the unconditioned stimulus less well than either inhibitor alone. This is because the model is based on the idea that the strength of a conditioned response is determined by the discrepancy between the expected and actual outcomes. When both inhibitors are presented together, their combined expectation of no unconditioned stimulus is weaker than when they are presented alone, leading to a decrease in their inhibitory strength.

Two Different Stimuli (A Light and a Tone) Are Separately