What is the NEUTRAL STIMULUS in psychology

The behavioral approach consists of creating associations between stimuli and responses, regardless of the mental process that can lead to a certain behavior. Classical conditioning can be defined as the process by which an unconditioned stimulus that produces effects known is associated with a neutral stimulus, as long as the neutral stimulus produces by itself effects similar to those of the non-stimulus. conditioned.

In particular, in this Psychology-Online article we want to go deeper into what is the neutral stimulus in psychology. We will tell you how a neutral stimulus is converted into a conditioned one and applied examples in neutral stimulus psychology.

Index

1. What is a neutral stimulus according to Pavlov
2. How to convert a neutral stimulus into a conditioned one
3. Examples of Neutral Stimulus in Psychology

The Pavlov's dog psychological experiment It is proposed to demonstrate the existence of the conditioned reflex, that is to say, that with a natural stimulus (neutral) a certain involuntary reaction (response) can be provoked.

In the case of the famous Russian physiologist experiment, food (unconditioned stimulus) made the dog salivate (unconditioned effect). By associating food with the sound of a bell (neutral sound) the same effect was achieved. If after a while he tried to ring the bell alone (conditioned stimulus), the dog would salivate even without food (conditioned effect).

Therefore, if you wonder what a neutral stimulus is, it is one that when it is present in the environment it does not cause any type of response in the body and it does not make sense to the organism, as, for example, the sound of a doorbell.

When associated with a unconditional stimulus, the neutral stimulus can become a conditioned stimulus. Indeed, an initially neutral stimulus, often presented in close temporal proximity with a stimulus that by its nature evokes a reflective response, is capable of evoking a reflective response Similary.

Conditioned reflexes are acquired, that is, they represent the fruit of life experiences and, in a certain sense, can be considered for all intents and purposes as architects. The condition for the birth and maintenance of conditioned reflexes is that a neutral stimulus serves as an early signal of the arrival of an unconditioned stimulus, until it is completely replaced.

It can be said that the conditioned reflex is a form of learning in which a neutral stimulusLike a green light or the sound of a bell associated with an unconditioned stimulus, like an electric shock, can substitute it and evoke the same response, in this case the retraction of the hand.

In short, we speak of a conditioned reflex to describe an acquired response, that is, it responds to a stimulus initially neutral, which is associated first and finally replaces another unconditioned stimulus, which instinctively provokes that reaction.

To better understand the functioning of a neutral stimulus in psychology, we will see different examples of it below:

Fear of injections

The classical conditioning it causes an initially neutral stimulus to associate with another that causes a specific reaction. If, for example, individuals in white coats are the ones who generally cause the pain of an injection, the mere sight of a white coat after a short time, can trigger crying even without injection.

Anxiety attacks

According to behaviorist theories, anxiety symptoms, such as panic, phobias, and obsessions, represent abnormal behavioral reactions, in the sense that are responses learned in the early stages of the individual's development through classical conditioning processes Pavlovian.

Here we can see another of the examples of neutral stimulus in psychology. The reaction that appears in combination with a neutral stimulus, for example, an anxiety attack in a supermarket, gives rise to a conditioning in which the reaction tends to be repeated in the face of stimuli similar to the neutral And it then involves avoiding the neutral stimulus by a working conditioning mechanism.

Publicity communication

In the advertising field, it is known that conditioning can also be applied to the emotions. For example, associating a neutral product with an event, something that for the consumer has strong affective resonances.

Classical conditioning theory has had important effects in the field of advertising communication, in which a sport with the actors and a scene represent an unconditional stimulus: the positive attitude towards the message or positive emotions are the unconditional response.

The idea is to combine the brand or the use of the brand, which is a neutral or conditioned stimulus, with the content of the spot, the unconditional stimulus, with the aim that unconditioned response becomes conditioned response. In the end, the brand or its use suggests the same attitude or positive emotions shared by the ad.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to What is the neutral stimulus in psychology, we recommend that you enter our category of Basic psychology.

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