Respondent Conditioningย is a learning process in which a neutral stimulusStimulusย is defined as any change in the environment or for... More is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus, leading to the neutral stimulus becoming a conditioned stimulus that elicits a reflexive responseAย responseย is a single occurrence or instance of aย behavi... More. It is also known as classical or Pavlovian conditioning and involves involuntary, reflexiveย behavior.
Example
A dog naturally salivates (the unconditioned response) when it sees food (the unconditioned stimulus). If the sound of a bell (a neutral stimulus) is repeatedly paired with the presentation of food, eventually, the sound of the bell alone will cause the dog to salivate. The bell has become a conditioned stimulus, and the salivation in response to the bell is a conditioned response, demonstrating respondent conditioning.