Which statement best describes the role of repetition in learning under classical conditioning?

Which statement best describes the role of repetition in learning under classical conditioning?

• A. It makes learning unpredictable
• B. It makes learning predictable
• C. It has no effect
• D. It only affects motor skills

Answer: (B)

Repetition strengthens the link between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus. With repeated pairings, the organism learns that the CS signals the coming US, so the CS itself starts to elicit the conditioned response. This makes the learning predictable: the response occurs reliably when the CS appears because the association has become established. The idea isn’t that learning has no effect or only affects motor actions; classical conditioning can produce physiological or emotional responses as well, and the key is that repeated pairings create a dependable predictor of what will follow.

Repetition strengthens the link between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus. With repeated pairings, the organism learns that the CS signals the coming US, so the CS itself starts to elicit the conditioned response. This makes the learning predictable: the response occurs reliably when the CS appears because the association has become established. The idea isn’t that learning has no effect or only affects motor actions; classical conditioning can produce physiological or emotional responses as well, and the key is that repeated pairings create a dependable predictor of what will follow.