One cue can be enough to trigger a response
- The idea
- Predict
- See it
- Why
- Check
The idea
“A response only happens when all of its cues show up together.”
The strongest response usually comes from the group that got every cue, so it's easy to credit them all together.
The short version
The mistake: A response only happens when all of its cues show up together.
What's actually true: A single cue can trigger a response by itself, and only the groups that got one cue can show it.
- A crossed design gives each cue with and without the other. Compare two rows that differ in only one cue.
- If one cue by itself gives about the full response, that cue is sufficient. It doesn't need the others.
- Guard cells have separate triggers. They close when light fades, and they close when ABA signals a water shortage.
- The row with every cue looks the most convincing, but it can't tell you which cue did the work.
On the exam: Before you say cues work together, find a group with one cue. If it responds, that cue is enough.