Final answer:
Pi aims to make the tiger, Richard Parker, associate the whistle's sound with Pi's authority and dominance to maintain territory on their lifeboat.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of this question, Pi must make Richard Parker—the Bengal tiger in the novel 'Life of Pi'—associate the sound of the whistle with dominance and authority in order to establish his territory on the lifeboat. Pi's goal is to train the tiger using Pavlovian conditioning, where a neutral stimulus (the whistle) is paired with a response (Richard Parker's submissiveness) until the stimulus alone can elicit the response. This method is crucial for Pi's survival as it helps enforce boundaries and manage their cohabitation in the confined space of a lifeboat.