A neutral stimulus is a stimulus that does not naturally elicit a specific response. Before conditioning, presenting a neutral stimulus, such as ringing a bell, does not produce a response like salivation.

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Classical conditioning involves three distinct phases. Before conditioning, an unconditioned stimulus produces an unconditioned response, and a neutral stimulus produces no response. During conditioning, the unconditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly just after the neutral stimulus. After conditioning, the neutral stimulus alone produces a conditioned response.

Classical Conditioning Phases

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Before conditioning, an unconditioned stimulus naturally produces a specific response. For example, food presented to a dog serves as an unconditioned stimulus that produces salivation without prior learning.

Unconditioned Stimulus (Classical Conditioning)

An unconditioned response is the unlearned, natural reaction elicited by an unconditioned stimulus. For example, a dog naturally salivating over a dish of food is an unconditioned response.

Unconditioned Response (Classical Conditioning)

Neutral Stimulus (Classical Conditioning)

During conditioning, an unconditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly just after the presentation of a neutral stimulus. After conditioning, the neutral stimulus alone produces a conditioned response, thus becoming a conditioned stimulus (e.g., a bell causing salivation).

Conditioned Stimulus (Classical Conditioning)

A conditioned response is the learned reaction produced by a conditioned stimulus after conditioning. For example, a dog salivating in response to a bell being rung, without the presence of food, is a conditioned response.

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