Conditioned Stimulus
A Conditioned Stimulus (CS) is a term from psychology, specifically in classical conditioning. It refers to a neutral object or event that, after being repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus (which naturally triggers a response), eventually elicits a response on its own. For example, if a bell rings every time food is presented to a dog, the dog will learn to associate the bell with food. Over time, the sound of the bell alone can make the dog salivate, even without food present. This demonstrates how associations can be formed through experience.
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A conditioned stimulus is a neutral event or object that becomes associated with a significant event through repeated pairing. For example, if a bell rings every time food is presented to a dog, the dog will eventually start to salivate just at the sound of the bell, even when no food is present. In this case, the bell is the conditioned stimulus—it originally had no meaning for the dog but gained significance through repetition. This concept is fundamental in understanding how behaviors can be learned through association.