Final answer:
Classical conditioning involves an organism learning to associate a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus, leading to a conditioned response that mimics the unconditioned response after repeated pairings.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept being discussed is classical conditioning, a fundamental principle in behavioral psychology. In classical conditioning, an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) that naturally produces an unconditioned response (UCR) is paired with a neutral stimulus (NS). Through repeated associations, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS), capable of eliciting the conditioned response (CR), very similar to the original unconditioned response, now as a learned behavior.
For example, in Pavlov's classic experiment, the sound of a bell (NS) was repeatedly paired with the presentation of food (UCS), which naturally caused dogs to salivate (UCR). After several pairings, the bell by itself (CS) led to salivation (CR). This learning process involves a series of stages such as acquisition, where the association is being formed; extinction, when the conditioned stimulus is presented without the unconditioned stimulus and the conditioned response starts to weaken; and may include spontaneous recovery of the response at a later time.