Final answer:
In classical conditioning, a conditioned response (CR) is linked to a previously neutral stimulus, which after association with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS), elicits the CR.
Step-by-step explanation:
A CER, or conditioned emotional response, is a conditioned response that has become associated with a previously neutral stimulus through the process of classical conditioning. To clarify, when we consider classical conditioning, we come across terms like unconditioned stimulus (UCS), which naturally elicits an unconditioned response (UCR) without prior learning. In contrast, a neutral stimulus does not initially trigger any specific response. However, when a neutral stimulus is paired repeatedly with an unconditioned stimulus, it becomes known as a conditioned stimulus (CS), eventually eliciting a conditioned response (CR), which is a learned reaction to the conditioned stimulus.
For example, in Pavlov's classic experiment with dogs, the sound of a bell was initially a neutral stimulus. Following repeated pairing with the presentation of food, which was an unconditioned stimulus, the bell sounds transformed into a conditioned stimulus. As a result, the dogs developed a conditioned response of salivation to the sound of the bell. Therefore, the appropriate fill-in-the-blank for the provided question is option a) conditioned; neutral.