CONDITIONAL STIMULUS Meaning and
Definition
-
A conditional stimulus refers to a specific cue or signal that acquires the ability to evoke or elicit a response through its association with another stimulus. In the context of classical conditioning, a conditional stimulus is initially neutral, meaning it does not elicit any significant response. However, through repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus, it becomes associated with a specific reflexive response, ultimately leading to the conditional stimulus alone being capable of initiating the response.
The conditional stimulus plays a crucial role in classical conditioning experiments, where it is intentionally paired with an unconditioned stimulus to create conditioned responses. For example, in the famous experiment by Ivan Pavlov, where dogs were conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell, initially, the bell did not elicit any response. However, through simultaneous pairing with the presentation of food, the dogs learned to associate the sound of the bell with the upcoming meal. Eventually, the conditioned stimulus (the bell) alone lead to the production of saliva, even in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus (food).
In summary, a conditional stimulus is a previously neutral stimulus that, through repeated association with a significant stimulus, comes to elicit a conditioned response. Its ability to evoke the response is a result of the acquired association formed during classical conditioning.
Common Misspellings for CONDITIONAL STIMULUS
- xonditional stimulus
- vonditional stimulus
- fonditional stimulus
- donditional stimulus
- cinditional stimulus
- cknditional stimulus
- clnditional stimulus
- cpnditional stimulus
- c0nditional stimulus
- c9nditional stimulus
- cobditional stimulus
- comditional stimulus
- cojditional stimulus
- cohditional stimulus
- consitional stimulus
- conxitional stimulus
- concitional stimulus
- confitional stimulus
- conritional stimulus
- coneitional stimulus
Etymology of CONDITIONAL STIMULUS
The term "conditional stimulus" is derived from the field of psychology, specifically the branch known as classical conditioning or Pavlovian conditioning. The etymology of the word can be broken down as follows:
1. Conditional: The word "conditional" comes from the Latin word "condicionalis", which is derived from the Latin word "condicio", meaning "stipulation" or "condition". In this context, the term refers to a stimulus that is contingent upon or dependent on specific conditions.
2. Stimulus: The word "stimulus" comes from the Latin word "stimulus", which means "goad" or "spur". In psychology, it refers to an event or object that elicits a response or reaction from an organism.
Therefore, "conditional stimulus" refers to a stimulus that is associated with or dependent upon certain conditions and is used in classical conditioning to elicit a response from an organism.
