An experimenter plans to condition a dog to salivate to a light by pairing the light with food.The dog will learn to salivate to the light most quickly if the experimenter presents the light
A) five seconds before the food.
B) half a second before the food.
C) at precisely the same time as the food.
D) a half-second after the food.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is known as forward conditioning, where the conditioned stimulus (light) is presented before the unconditioned stimulus (food). Half a second before the food is the most effective timing for this type of conditioning as it allows enough time for the dog to associate the light with the impending food, but not too much time that the association becomes weaker.

An Experimenter Plans to Condition a Dog to Salivate to a Light