In Pavlov's classical conditioning, what is the role of the bell in the standard procedure?

In Pavlov's classical conditioning, what is the role of the bell in the standard procedure?

• A. Unconditioned Stimulus
• B. Conditioned Stimulus
• C. Unconditioned Response
• D. Conditioned Response

Answer: (B)

The bell becomes a conditioned stimulus. It starts off as a neutral signal, but after repeated pairing with the unconditioned stimulus (the food), it comes to predict that the food is about to appear. When the bell rings alone, the dog begins to salivate—the conditioned response—demonstrating that the bell now signals the learned association. The unconditioned stimulus is the food, which naturally elicits salivation (the unconditioned response), whereas the salivation to the bell is the conditioned response.

The bell becomes a conditioned stimulus. It starts off as a neutral signal, but after repeated pairing with the unconditioned stimulus (the food), it comes to predict that the food is about to appear. When the bell rings alone, the dog begins to salivate—the conditioned response—demonstrating that the bell now signals the learned association. The unconditioned stimulus is the food, which naturally elicits salivation (the unconditioned response), whereas the salivation to the bell is the conditioned response.