An unbiased stimulant which is repetitively correlated with an unconditioned stimulant till it obtains the capacity to invoke a reaction that it didn’t prior to. In a lot of cases, the reaction invoked by the conditioned stimulant is alike to that invoked by the unconditioned stimulant.
References
What is a conditioned response in psychology?
Classical conditioning is a type of learning that occurs when a neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus, which naturally elicits an unconditioned response. Eventually, the neutral stimulus becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus and begins to elicit a conditioned response. In other words, the previously neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus.
Consider a dog that has come to link the sound of a bell with receiving food, for instance. The dog begins to salivate in anticipation of the food when it hears the bell. The sound of the bell in this situation was initially a neutral stimulus that did not cause salivation. However, the dog learnt to connect the sound of the bell with the arrival of food when it was frequently paired with the delivery of food (the unconditioned stimulus). As a result, the sound of the bell evolved into a conditioned stimulus that caused a conditioned reaction (salivation).
Psychology has devoted a lot of time to studying the process of classical conditioning, which has been used to explain a variety of human behaviors, such as phobias, drug addiction, and emotional reactions. Psychologists have been able to create therapies and interventions that aid individuals in overcoming unfavorable conditioned responses and learning new, healthier habits by understanding the mechanisms of classical conditioning.
How does a conditioned stimulus work?
A conditioned stimulus is a previously neutral stimulus that, through repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to elicit a conditioned response. The process of classical conditioning involves presenting a neutral stimulus (the conditioned stimulus) alongside an unconditioned stimulus, which naturally elicits a response.
Over time, the neutral stimulus becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus, and the previously neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that elicits a conditioned response.
Difference between conditioned and unconditioned stimulus
An unconditioned stimulus is a stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response, such as the smell of food eliciting the response of hunger. In contrast, a conditioned stimulus is a previously neutral stimulus that, through repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to elicit a conditioned response.
The key difference between the two is that an unconditioned stimulus naturally elicits a response, while a conditioned stimulus must be paired with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit a response.
Examples of conditioning
One classic example of conditioning in psychology is Pavlov’s experiment with dogs, where he conditioned the dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell. Another example is Little Albert, a baby who was conditioned to fear a white rat through repeated pairing of the rat with a loud noise. Conditioning is also used in behavior therapy to treat phobias and anxiety disorders, by gradually exposing the person to the feared stimulus in a safe and controlled environment.
References
Pavlov, I. P. (1927). Conditioned reflexes: An investigation of the physiological activity of the cerebral cortex. Oxford University Press.
Watson, J. B., & Rayner, R. (1920). Conditioned emotional reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 3(1), 1-14.
Wolpe, J. (1958). Psychotherapy by reciprocal inhibition. Stanford University Press.