What term describes the learned response to the conditioned stimulus?

• A. Conditioned Response (CR)
• B. Unconditioned Response (UR)
• C. Neutral Stimulus (NS)
• D. Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

Answer: (A)

The learned response to the conditioned stimulus is the conditioned response. In classical conditioning, a neutral signal becomes meaningful through pairing with something that naturally elicits a reflex. After this pairing, the signal alone can trigger a response similar to the natural one—that learned reaction is the conditioned response. For example, if a bell (initially neutral) is paired with food (which causes salivation), the dog eventually salivates in response to the bell alone—the conditioned response. By contrast, the unconditioned response is the natural reflex to the unconditioned stimulus (salivation to food) and the neutral stimulus is the signal that initially does not provoke a response. The unconditioned stimulus is the event that naturally triggers the reflex (the food). The crucial point is that the conditioned response requires learning and occurs specifically in response to the conditioned stimulus.