What does the chapter say about attempts at third-order conditioning?
AIt rarely works, as conditioning seldom passes second order
BIt works reliably and is stronger than second-order learning
CIt works only when the unconditioned stimulus is present too
DIt produces a conditioned response after a single pairing
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. It rarely works, as conditioning seldom passes second order
1. Higher-order conditioning uses an established conditioned stimulus to condition a further neutral stimulus.
2. The chapter states plainly that it is hard to achieve anything above second-order conditioning.
3. Its example runs a bell, then the cabinet squeak, then the can opener, then food, and concludes that the cat will likely never get excited at the bell alone.
4. Each additional link is further removed from the unconditioned stimulus, so the association becomes too weak to support a response.
5. Option C would simply describe ordinary first-order conditioning rather than a third-order chain.
_Source: OpenStax Psychology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 6 "Learning", §6.2 Classical Conditioning_
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