OCR General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) Biology Practice Exam

What happens during stage 3 of Pavlov's experiment?

1. The bell is rung alone

2. Dog is not salivating at the bell

3. The bell is paired with food multiple times

4. The dog learns to associate food with the sound of the bell

The correct answer is: The bell is paired with food multiple times

In stage 3 of Pavlov's experiment, the focus is on conditioning the dog to respond to the sound of a bell. During this stage, the bell is paired with food multiple times, which is crucial for establishing a strong association between the two stimuli. The repeated pairing leads to the dog learning to anticipate food whenever it hears the bell, which results in salivation. This fundamental aspect of classical conditioning demonstrates how a neutral stimulus (the bell) can become a conditioned stimulus that elicits a response (salivation) after being associated with an unconditioned stimulus (the food). Through this repetitive process, the dog forms a connection between the sound of the bell and the imminent arrival of food, illustrating a key principle in behavioral psychology.