By pairing the ringing of a bell with the presentation of meat, Pavlov trained dogs to salivate to the sound of a bell even when no meat was presented. In this experiment, the ringing of the bell was the ________.

A) unconditioned response
B) unconditioned stimulus
C) conditioned response
D) conditioned stimulus

Conditioned Stimulus

A stimulus that, after being repeatedly associated with an unconditioned stimulus, begins to evoke a similar response as the unconditioned stimulus on its own.

Unconditioned Response

A reflexive, automatic reaction to an unconditioned stimulus, not learned through prior experience.

Unconditioned Stimulus

In classical conditioning, it is any stimulus that can naturally and automatically trigger a response without prior learning.