Delayed pairing is a term used in Classical conditioning which is the presentation of the CS before the US, with both ending simultaneously. Please see Backward pairing, Simultaneous pairing, Trace pairing.
In the context of psychology, "delayed pairing" refers to a type of classical conditioning in which the presentation of a conditioned stimulus (CS) is delayed relative to an unconditioned stimulus (US). This means that the CS is presented a short time after the US is presented, rather than at the same time.
In delayed pairing, the CS is initially presented after a brief delay following the US. Over time, the delay between the US and CS is gradually increased until the CS is presented several seconds after the US. The goal of this conditioning procedure is to establish a strong association between the CS and the US, such that the presentation of the CS alone elicits a conditioned response (CR).
For example, a researcher might use delayed pairing to train a dog to associate the sound of a bell with the arrival of food. In this case, the food would be the US, and the sound of the bell would be the CS. The researcher might initially present the bell a few seconds after the food is delivered, and gradually increase the delay until the bell is presented several seconds after the food. Eventually, the dog would learn to salivate at the sound of the bell alone, even in the absence of food.
Delayed pairing is often used in studies of learning and memory to investigate the processes involved in classical conditioning. It can also be used in the development of new therapies for psychological disorders, such as phobias or anxiety disorders, where classical conditioning processes are thought to play a role.