conditional reflex

Friendly

Explanation of "Conditional Reflex"

Definition:
A "conditional reflex" is a type of response that a person or animal learns to give when they encounter a specific stimulus. This means that the response doesn't happen naturally; instead, it is learned through experience.

Simple Explanation

Think of it like training a dog. If you ring a bell every time you feed the dog, eventually, the dog will start to salivate (or get excited) when it hears the bell, even if no food is present. The bell is the stimulus, and the dog's salivation is the conditional reflex.

Usage Instructions

You can use "conditional reflex" when talking about learned behaviors, especially in psychology or biology. It’s often used to describe situations where an organism learns to respond to a specific signal or trigger.

Example

• Simple Example: After several times of being fed when a bell rings, the dog starts salivating when it hears the bell, even without food. This is a conditional reflex.

Advanced Usage

In psychology, "conditional reflex" is often discussed in connection with classical conditioning, a method of learning that was first studied by Ivan Pavlov.

Word Variants

• Unconditional Reflex: A response that happens automatically and does not require learning. For example, pulling your hand away from something hot is an unconditional reflex.
• Conditioning: The process of developing a conditional reflex.

Different Meanings

• In everyday language, "conditional" means something that depends on certain conditions. For example, "I will go to the party if it doesn’t rain." Here, "if it doesn’t rain" is a condition.
• "Reflex" can also refer to an automatic response, like blinking when something comes close to your eye.

Synonyms

• Learned response: A reaction that develops over time due to experience.
• Conditioned response: Another term used to describe the same concept, often in scientific contexts.

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

While "conditional reflex" itself doesn’t have idioms or phrasal verbs directly related to it, you might encounter phrases like: - "Trigger a response": This means to cause a reaction, similar to how a stimulus can trigger a conditional reflex. - "Learn the ropes": This means to learn how to do something, which can relate to how a conditional reflex is developed through learning.

Summary

In summary, a conditional reflex is a learned response to a specific stimulus.

Academic

Noun

1. an acquired response that is under the control of (conditional on the occurrence of) a stimulus

Synonyms

• conditioned reflex
• acquired reflex
• conditional reaction
• conditioned reaction
• conditional response
• conditioned response