conditional reflex
- noun
- /kənˈdɪʃənl ˈrɛflɛks/
- Specialized
:
reflejo condicional
- The dog's salivation when hearing the bell is a classic example of a conditional reflex.
Examples
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A dog salivates at the sound of a bell; this is a conditional reflex.
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With enough repetition, a conditional reflex can become almost automatic in response to the stimulus.
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Researchers studied how quickly a conditional reflex develops in young children.
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The conditional reflex can be observed in many animals.
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The dog's salivation when hearing the bell is a classic example of a conditional reflex.
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With enough repetition, a conditional reflex can become almost automatic in response to the stimulus.
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Researchers studied how quickly a conditional reflex develops in young children.
Synonyms
3
4.8
A learned reaction to a signal, like a bell, that happens after the signal is often shown with something else
1
5.3
An automatic response learned when a neutral sound or sign is repeatedly paired with something that naturally causes it
1
5.7
A reaction a person develops from practice or experience, not one they are born with
A learned response that happens when a signal like a bell is paired with food many times
A learned reaction to a sound or signal after it happens many times
A learned response that happens when a certain sound or signal appears, for example a dog drooling at a bell
A learned automatic response to a signal, for example salivating at a bell
A way of acting you get from practice or experience
How Automatic
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
5.7
- Specialized
11
3.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
A B1 learner who knows 'conditional' (depending on conditions) and 'reflex' (an automatic response) can reasonably infer this denotes an automatic response that occurs only under certain conditions. However, the technical sense—that it is a learned response produced by conditioning (contrasting with the common notion of a reflex as innate)—is a disciplinary nuance not fully predictable from the parts, so the term is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The term conditional reflex comes from Ivan Pavlov's dog experiments, where a bell was rung before food and the dog soon began to drool at the bell alone. The word conditional shows the response depends on a condition (the bell) and reflex shows it becomes an automatic action, so it means a 'learned automatic response' to a specific signal.