In classical conditioning, what happens when an unconditioned stimulus linked to an unconditioned response becomes associated with a conditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response?

• A. Observational learning
• B. Classical conditioning
• C. Operant conditioning
• D. Insight learning

Answer: (B)

Classical conditioning is at work here. It’s when a neutral stimulus becomes able to trigger a response after it’s repeatedly paired with a stimulus that naturally causes that response. The unconditioned stimulus already elicits the unconditioned response. When it’s paired with a conditioned stimulus, the organism learns that the conditioned stimulus predicts the arrival of the unconditioned stimulus. Eventually, the conditioned stimulus alone will produce a response—now called the conditioned response—even without the original unconditioned stimulus. This is the essence of classical conditioning: forming an association that transforms a neutral cue into a sign that signals the automatic response. Observational learning, operant conditioning, and insight learning involve different mechanisms (learning by watching others, learning from consequences, and sudden understanding, respectively) and don’t describe this cue–response pairing process.