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Classical Conditioning

Classical conditioning is a learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful one, leading to a conditioned response. Introduced by Ivan Pavlov, this concept shows how our behaviors can be influenced by our environment. For example, if a bell (neutral stimulus) is repeatedly sounded before feeding a dog (meaningful stimulus), the dog will eventually salivate (conditioned response) just at the sound of the bell. This process illustrates how certain stimuli can trigger automatic responses based on previous experiences and is a key principle in behaviorism, highlighting the relationship between stimuli and behavior.

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    Classical conditioning is a learning process where a person or animal comes to associate a neutral stimulus with a significant one, leading to a learned response. For example, if a bell (neutral stimulus) is consistently rung before food (significant stimulus), the subject may start to salivate (learned response) just at the sound of the bell, even without food present. This process was famously demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov with dogs. Essentially, it highlights how experiences can shape behavior by creating associations between different stimuli.