Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Definition

A conditioned stimulus is a previously neutral stimulus that, after becoming associated with the unconditioned stimulus, eventually triggers a conditioned response.

Related terms

Neutral Stimulus (NS): This is something that does not trigger a response on its own, but can become a conditioned stimulus when paired with an unconditioned stimulus.

Unconditioned Stimulus (US):

This is something that naturally and automatically triggers an unlearned response without previous conditioning.

Stimulus Generalization:

This refers to the tendency for the conditioned response to be evoked by stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus.