Blocking is best described by which statement?

Blocking is best described by which statement?

• A. Blocking occurs when a familiar stimulus enhances the learning of a new cue
• B. Blocking occurs when a well-established cue prevents learning about a new cue
• C. Blocking refers to reinforcement being withheld after initial learning
• D. Blocking describes when a new cue is learned more quickly when paired with a familiar cue

Answer: (B)

Blocking describes how prior learning to a familiar cue can prevent learning about a new cue that is paired with the same outcome. When the familiar cue already reliably predicts the unconditioned stimulus, the animal experiences little prediction error, so there’s little learning left to occur for the new cue. As a result, the new cue fails to gain associative strength because it doesn’t provide new information about what will happen. This is why the statement stating that a well-established cue prevents learning about a new cue is the best fit. The other ideas describe different phenomena: a familiar cue enhancing learning of a new cue would be a form of facilitation, withholding reinforcement after learning describes extinction, and learning more quickly because of a familiar cue would again imply facilitation, not blocking.

Blocking describes how prior learning to a familiar cue can prevent learning about a new cue that is paired with the same outcome. When the familiar cue already reliably predicts the unconditioned stimulus, the animal experiences little prediction error, so there’s little learning left to occur for the new cue. As a result, the new cue fails to gain associative strength because it doesn’t provide new information about what will happen. This is why the statement stating that a well-established cue prevents learning about a new cue is the best fit. The other ideas describe different phenomena: a familiar cue enhancing learning of a new cue would be a form of facilitation, withholding reinforcement after learning describes extinction, and learning more quickly because of a familiar cue would again imply facilitation, not blocking.