if the dog continues to salivate at the sound of the metronome when the meat powder is absent, we call this?

The correct answer and explanation is:

Correct Answer: Conditioned Response


In classical conditioning, if a dog continues to salivate at the sound of a metronome even when meat powder is no longer present, this behavior is referred to as a conditioned response. This concept originates from the work of Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, who is best known for his experiments on dogs and classical conditioning.

In Pavlov’s experiments, he observed that dogs would naturally salivate (an unconditioned response) when presented with food (an unconditioned stimulus). He then paired the presentation of food with a neutral stimulus—such as the sound of a metronome or bell. After several pairings, the dog began to salivate in response to the sound alone, even if no food followed. At that point, the sound (metronome) became a conditioned stimulus, and the salivation in response to that sound was a conditioned response.

The conditioned response is a learned reaction that occurs due to the association between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus. Over time, the dog learns to associate the metronome with food, and thus, the sound alone triggers salivation. This learned behavior demonstrates how organisms adapt to their environments by forming associations.

It is important to note that if the conditioned stimulus (metronome) is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus (meat powder), the conditioned response (salivation) may eventually weaken or disappear. This process is known as extinction. However, sometimes, the conditioned response can reappear after a period of time, which is referred to as spontaneous recovery.

In summary, when a dog salivates at the sound of the metronome without the presence of food, it is displaying a conditioned response—a key element in the classical conditioning process that highlights the power of associative learning.

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