In Pavlovian conditioning, a neutral stimulus paired with an unconditioned stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus. Which term describes this new cue?

In Pavlovian conditioning, a neutral stimulus paired with an unconditioned stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus. Which term describes this new cue?

• A. Conditioned Stimulus
• B. Unconditioned Stimulus
• C. Unconditioned Response
• D. Conditioned Response

Answer: (A)

In Pavlovian conditioning, a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus after it’s paired with an unconditioned stimulus because it begins to signal the arrival of that unconditioned stimulus. The conditioned stimulus is the cue that, through learning, now predicts the unconditioned stimulus and can elicit a learned response. For example, if a bell (neutral stimulus) is repeatedly paired with food (unconditioned stimulus) that naturally causes salivation (unconditioned response), the bell alone eventually produces salivation (conditioned response). The terms unconditioned stimulus and unconditioned response refer to the natural, unlearned trigger and its automatic reaction, while the conditioned response is the learned reaction to the conditioned stimulus.

In Pavlovian conditioning, a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus after it’s paired with an unconditioned stimulus because it begins to signal the arrival of that unconditioned stimulus. The conditioned stimulus is the cue that, through learning, now predicts the unconditioned stimulus and can elicit a learned response. For example, if a bell (neutral stimulus) is repeatedly paired with food (unconditioned stimulus) that naturally causes salivation (unconditioned response), the bell alone eventually produces salivation (conditioned response). The terms unconditioned stimulus and unconditioned response refer to the natural, unlearned trigger and its automatic reaction, while the conditioned response is the learned reaction to the conditioned stimulus.