What kind of response is referred to when a subject learns to respond to a previously neutral stimulus after conditioning?

When a subject learns to respond to a previously neutral stimulus after conditioning, this process results in what is known as a conditioned response. This occurs in classical conditioning, a learning process where an originally neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit a conditioned response.

For instance, in Pavlov's famous experiment, dogs learned to salivate in response to the sound of a bell, which initially held no significance for them. Through repeated pairings of the bell (neutral stimulus) with food (unconditioned stimulus), the bell became associated with the food, prompting the dogs to salivate in anticipation, thus becoming a conditioned response.

This phenomenon highlights how learning can occur through association, transforming how an organism interacts with their environment based on previous experiences. Understanding this concept is key to grasping foundational principles of behavioral psychology, showing how behavior can be modified through systematic conditioning approaches.