2.2.2—Classical conditioning
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2027
- Objective
- 2.2.2
- Level
- HL
Classical conditioning links a cue to an expected event
In classical conditioning, a previously neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus after repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus, so it elicits a conditioned response.
Acquisition depends on timing and contingency. Extinction reduces the conditioned response when the cue is no longer paired, but spontaneous recovery or generalisation can show that learning has not simply vanished.
If a tone repeatedly precedes an unpleasant event, the tone may later trigger anxiety. Presenting the tone safely can weaken the response, while a similar tone may still generalise it.
Conditioning is not just repetition. Name the stimulus roles and the pairing that changes the prediction.