What is classical conditioning?

• A. Learning to associate two previously unrelated stimuli
• B. Learning by imitation
• C. A schedule of reinforcement
• D. Extinction of a conditioned response

Answer: (A)

Classical conditioning is a form of learning where an organism learns to link two events that previously did not predict each other. Through repeated pairing, a neutral stimulus begins to predict a significant stimulus, so the neutral becomes capable of triggering a response on its own.

For example, in Pavlov’s experiments, a neutral bell was paired with food (an unconditioned stimulus that naturally elicits salivation, the unconditioned response). After several pairings, the bell alone (now a conditioned stimulus) elicited salivation (the conditioned response). This illustrates how two previously unrelated stimuli become associated.

That’s why the correct choice describes learning to associate two previously unrelated stimuli. Other choices point to different ideas: learning by imitation is observational learning, a schedule of reinforcement pertains to operant conditioning, and extinction refers to the decline of the conditioned response when the pairing stops, not the basic definition of classical conditioning.