Neutral stimulus

Neutral Stimulus

A Neutral Stimulus is a type of stimulus that initially produces no specific response other than focusing attention. In classical conditioning, when it is used together with an unconditioned stimulus, it becomes a conditioned stimulus.

Overview

In psychology, a neutral stimulus is something that does not cause a response on its own. However, when paired with an unconditioned stimulus, it can lead to a conditioned response. This is the basis of classical conditioning, a learning process first described by Ivan Pavlov.

Classical Conditioning

Classical conditioning is a type of learning where a neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus. The unconditioned stimulus naturally and automatically triggers a response. After associating the neutral stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus, the neutral stimulus will start to trigger the same response, even without the unconditioned stimulus. At this point, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus.

Examples

A common example of a neutral stimulus becoming a conditioned stimulus is Pavlov's dogs experiment. In this experiment, Pavlov used a bell as a neutral stimulus and food as an unconditioned stimulus. The food (unconditioned stimulus) naturally caused the dogs to salivate (unconditioned response). Pavlov then rang the bell (neutral stimulus) just before presenting the dogs with food. After several pairings of the bell and the food, the dogs began to salivate at the sound of the bell alone, showing that the bell had become a conditioned stimulus.

See Also

• Conditioned Stimulus
• Unconditioned Stimulus
• Classical Conditioning
• Ivan Pavlov

Neutral stimulus Resources
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