According to the cognitive view of classical conditioning, what is the primary factor that determines whether conditioning will occur?

• A. The time interval between the presentation of the unconditioned stimulus and the conditioned stimulus
• B. The physical intensity of the conditioned stimulus
• C. The organism's ability to predict the occurrence of the unconditioned stimulus based on the conditioned stimulus
• D. The number of times the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus are paired together

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the cognitive view of classical conditioning, which emphasizes the role of mental processes such as expectation and prediction in learning associations between stimuli.
2. Step 2: Recognize that classical conditioning involves pairing a conditioned stimulus (CS) with an unconditioned stimulus (US) so that the CS eventually elicits a conditioned response (CR).
3. Step 3: Identify that, according to the cognitive perspective, the key factor is not just the timing or intensity of stimuli, but whether the organism can use the CS to predict the occurrence of the US.
4. Step 4: Note that this predictive relationship means the organism forms an expectation that the US will follow the CS, which is crucial for conditioning to occur.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the primary factor determining conditioning is the organism's ability to anticipate the US based on the CS, rather than simply the number of pairings or physical characteristics of the stimuli.