A conditioned reflex, also called an acquired reflex, is an automatic response to a stimulus that differs from that initially causing the response, but that has become associated with it by repetition, in a process known as classical conditioning. Such a reflex is developed gradually by training in association with specific repeated external stimuli. An example is that in Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov’s experiment in which a dog salivates at the ringing of a bell if, over a period of time, every feeding is preceded by the bell-ringing stimulus. Such a reflex is built into the nervous system and does not need the intervention of conscious thought to take effect. Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Your Feedback Submit FeedbackThank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. External Websites Share Share Share to social media Facebook Twitter URL https://www.britannica.com/science/conditioned-reflexAlternate titles: CR, conditional response, conditioned response Learn about this topic in these articles:
In conditioning…hearing this sound is the conditioned response (CR). The strength of conditioning is measured in terms of the number of drops of saliva the dog secretes during test trials in which food powder is omitted after the bell has rung. The dog’s original response of salivation upon the introduction of… Read MoreIn learning: Types of learningcrystallizes new behaviour patterns. The earliest well-known conditioning experiment was performed by 19th-century Russian physiologist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, who conditioned dogs to salivate to the sound of bells. Read MoreIn animal learning: Classical and instrumental conditioningThe elicitation of the conditional response by the conditional stimulus is termed a conditional reflex, the occurrence of which is reinforced by the presentation of the unconditional stimulus (food). In the absence of food, repeated presentation of the conditional stimulus alone will result in the gradual disappearance, or extinction,… Read Morebehaviorismcompared with real reflexescontribution by WatsonDescartes’ theory of human behaviour- In René Descartes: Physics, physiology, and morals of René Descartes
…that human beings can be conditioned by experience to have specific emotional responses. Descartes himself, for example, had been conditioned to be attracted to cross-eyed women because he had loved a cross-eyed playmate as a child. When he remembered this fact, however, he was able to rid himself of his… Read More
learning behaviour and theories of culture- In culture: Evolution of minding
Second is the conditioned reflex stage, in which the response is elicited not by properties intrinsic in the stimulus but by meanings that the stimulus has acquired for the responding organism through experience—for example, Pavlov’s dog’s salivary glands responding to the sound of a bell. Third is the… Read More
role of nerves- In nervous system: Nervous systems
This response, known as a conditioned reflex, is a form of learning. The behaviour of the animal is no longer limited by fixed, inherited reflex arcs but can be modified by experience and exposure to an unlimited number of stimuli. The most evolved nervous systems are capable of even higher… Read More
use in- Lamaze childbirth method
- In Lamaze
Applying Pavlov’s theory of conditioned reflexes, Lamaze taught the use of distraction techniques to decrease women’s perceptions of discomfort during labour contractions. These techniques include deep and shallow breathing, rhythmic light abdominal massage (effleurage), and concentration on external focal points or on internal visualization of pleasant experiences; all are… Read More
- speech pathology
- In speech disorder: Development of speech correction
…emphasis on Pavlovian theory (conditioning and retraining) and intensive use of neuropsychiatric methods, including pharmacology, sleep therapy, and other intensive treatment programs during hospitalization. Similar trends operate in the eastern European countries, such as in the Czech Republic, where the first independent medical department of logopedics and phoniatrics was…
What is learned response to a conditioned stimulus?
After such a temporal pairing has occurred repeatedly, the conditioned stimulus itself produces a response. This learned response is known as the conditioned response (CR) and it can occur even in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus.
What is a conditioned reflex response?
A learned response performed by a human or other animal to a signal that was previously associated with an event of consequence for that human or animal.
What is an example of a conditioned stimulus with a conditioned response?
Using the terminology of the classical conditioning paradigm, the conditioned stimulus (CS) is a learned stimulus that can eventually trigger a conditioned response. For example, the sound of a bell is the conditioned stimulus in Pavlov's experiment, and the dogs salivating would be the conditioned response.
Are learned behaviors conditioned reflex?
The so-called conditioned reflexes are not reflexes at all but complicated acts of learned behaviour. Salivation is one such conditioned reflex; it occurs only when a person is conscious of the presence of food or when one imagines food.
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