Overshadowing occurs when:

• A. Two cues present and one becomes more salient than the other
• B. The animal ignores all cues
• C. A cue is blocked by a new cue
• D. A cue is never learned

Answer: (B)

Overshadowing happens when two cues are present at the same time and one cue is more salient than the other, so the more noticeable cue gains most of the learning about the outcome while the less noticeable cue receives little to none. This competition for associative strength means the animal will respond more to the stronger cue and less to the weaker one. The other scenarios describe different phenomena: ignoring all cues would mean no learning at all, blocking involves a new cue preventing learning about a previously learned cue, and a cue never learned simply means no association formed rather than competition between cues.