What is the term for conditioning in which the unconditioned stimulus precedes the neutral stimulus, resulting in little learning?

• A. Classical conditioning
• B. Counter conditioning
• C. Extinction
• D. Backwards conditioning

Answer: (D)

In classical conditioning, learning depends on the neutral stimulus signaling that the unconditioned stimulus is coming. When the neutral stimulus reliably precedes the unconditioned stimulus, it becomes a predictor and the organism learns to respond to the neutral stimulus itself. If the unconditioned stimulus is presented before the neutral stimulus, the neutral cue doesn’t provide advance information about the US, so the association forms very weakly or not at all. This arrangement is known as backwards conditioning, and it typically produces little learning.

The other terms describe different ideas: the general process of classical conditioning, counter conditioning (changing a response by pairing with a new stimulus), and extinction (the reduction of the conditioned response when the CS is presented without the US). Therefore, backwards conditioning best fits the scenario of the US preceding the CS with little learning.