What term describes the neutral stimulus that becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus?

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

Answer: (A)

In classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus after it is reliably paired with an unconditioned stimulus. The term for that neutral stimulus once learning has occurred is the conditioned stimulus. Before learning, it’s just a neutral stimulus, and it’s the unconditioned stimulus that naturally elicits an unconditioned response. After the association is formed, the conditioned stimulus can elicit a response on its own, known as the conditioned response. For example, in Pavlov’s dogs, the bell starts as a neutral stimulus; paired with meat powder (the unconditioned stimulus) that naturally causes salivation (the unconditioned response), the bell becomes a conditioned stimulus that then elicits salivation on its own.