Definition

1. Noun:
   • A previously neutral stimulus that, after being repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response: In behavioral psychology, a "conditioned stimulus" is a stimulus that initially does not elicit a particular response. Through a learning process called classical conditioning, it becomes associated with a stimulus that does automatically elicit a response, thereby gaining the power to trigger a similar response on its own.

Usage

• The term "conditioned stimulus" is used primarily in academic and scientific contexts, especially in psychology and behavioral science, to describe a key component of learned behavior.
• It is often abbreviated as CS.
• It is typically discussed in contrast with an unconditioned stimulus (US).

Examples

• Noun:
  • In Pavlov's famous experiment, the sound of a bell was the conditioned stimulus that eventually made the dogs salivate.
  • The sight of the dentist's office can become a conditioned stimulus for feelings of anxiety if it has been associated with pain in the past.
  • Researchers measured how quickly the animal responded to the conditioned stimulus after the training sessions.

Advanced Usage

• "To serve as a conditioned stimulus": to function in the role of a CS.
  • A simple light flash can serve as a conditioned stimulus in this learning paradigm.
• "Pairing of the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus": the process of presenting the CS and US together to create an association.
  • Learning depends on the close temporal pairing of the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus.

Variants and Related Words

• Conditioning (n): The process of learning by which a response becomes associated with a new stimulus. (e.g., ).
• Conditioned Response (CR) (n): The learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus.
• Unconditioned Stimulus (US) (n): A stimulus that automatically and naturally triggers a response without prior learning.
• Stimulus (n): Any object or event that elicits a sensory or behavioral response.

Synonyms

• Learned stimulus: A stimulus that acquires its response-eliciting properties through experience.
• Signal stimulus: A stimulus that serves as a signal or predictor for another event.

Related Phrases

• Conditioned stimulus generalization: The tendency for stimuli similar to the original conditioned stimulus to elicit the same conditioned response.
  • After training, the dog showed conditioned stimulus generalization by salivating to bells of different tones.
• Conditioned stimulus extinction: The weakening and eventual disappearance of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus.
  • The fear diminished through a process of conditioned stimulus extinction.

Noun

1. the stimulus that is the occasion for a conditioned response