classical conditioning

American  

noun

1. conditioning.

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classical conditioning British  

noun

1. psychol the alteration in responding that occurs when two stimuli are regularly paired in close succession: the response originally given to the second stimulus comes to be given to the first See also conditioned response

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classical conditioning Scientific  

/ klăs′ĭ-kəl /

1. A process of behavior modification in which a subject learns to respond in a desired manner such that a neutral stimulus (the conditioned stimulus) is repeatedly presented in association with a stimulus (the unconditioned stimulus) that elicits a natural response (the unconditioned response) until the neutral stimulus alone elicits the same response (now called the conditioned response). For example, in Pavlov's experiments, food is the unconditioned stimulus that produces salivation, a reflex or unconditioned response. The bell is the conditioned stimulus, which eventually produces salivation in the absence of food. This salivation is the conditioned response.

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Etymology

Origin of classical conditioning

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

All the subjects took turns in an MRI machine, where the researchers induced auditory hallucinations with classical conditioning, following the example of Pavlov and his dogs.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2025

This type of learning involves associating different stimuli via a process called classical conditioning.

From Science Daily • Nov. 29, 2023

Notar said the results are "exciting" because "classical conditioning hasn't really been shown definitively in this group of animals before."

From Science Daily • Nov. 29, 2023

Associative memories induced by classical conditioning, moreover, are thought to be analogous to traumatic memories that cause PTSD.

From Salon • Jan. 16, 2022

A model for this learning is classical conditioning, as shown by the famous dogs from the physiologist Ivan Pavlov’s work.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013