After several pairings, if the stimulus alone elicits a reflex, the stimulus is a what?

After several pairings, if the stimulus alone elicits a reflex, the stimulus is a what?

• A. Backward Conditioning
• B. Conditioned Stimulus
• C. Delayed Conditioning
• D. Elicited

Answer: (B)

In classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus after it’s paired with an unconditioned stimulus enough times. Once this pairing has occurred, the neutral stimulus alone can evoke a reflex, now called the conditioned response. The thing that elicits the reflex is the conditioned stimulus because it has acquired the ability to trigger the response without the unconditioned stimulus present. The other terms don’t fit as well: backward conditioning would involve presenting the unconditioned stimulus before the conditioned stimulus, which isn’t the scenario here; delayed conditioning describes the timing of onset and overlap but not the identity of the stimulus after conditioning; elicited describes the reflex itself, not the status of the stimulus.

In classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus after it’s paired with an unconditioned stimulus enough times. Once this pairing has occurred, the neutral stimulus alone can evoke a reflex, now called the conditioned response. The thing that elicits the reflex is the conditioned stimulus because it has acquired the ability to trigger the response without the unconditioned stimulus present. The other terms don’t fit as well: backward conditioning would involve presenting the unconditioned stimulus before the conditioned stimulus, which isn’t the scenario here; delayed conditioning describes the timing of onset and overlap but not the identity of the stimulus after conditioning; elicited describes the reflex itself, not the status of the stimulus.