Skip to main content
conditioned emotional response

conditioned emotional response

7.2
An emotional reaction you learn when something is often linked with a good or bad event
  • noun
translation icon : respuesta emocional condicionada
  • Children may exhibit a conditioned emotional response such as fear when they hear thunder if it is paired with frightening experiences.

Examples

  • She developed a strong conditioned emotional response to the sound of the bell.

  • His conditioned emotional response to the smell of cookies made him feel nostalgic.

  • A conditioned emotional response can develop after repeated associations between a stimulus and an unpleasant event.

  • The sight of the laboratory caused a conditioned emotional response of anxiety in the test subject.

  • A conditioned emotional response can be triggered by the sound of a bell, reminding someone of a past experience.

  • Many animals show a conditioned emotional response of fear when they hear a loud noise associated with punishment.

  • After several instances of being frightened by the dark, he had developed a conditioned emotional response of anxiety whenever the lights went out.

Synonyms

reaction
vsconditioned emotional response
925 2.6

An immediate feeling after hearing or seeing something

is a specific learned form of such responses that involves feelings
conditioned response
vsconditioned emotional response
  • Specialized
3 4.8

A learned reaction to a signal, like a bell, that happens after the signal is often shown with something else

focuses on learned feelings specifically rather than any learned reaction
conditioned reflex
vsconditioned emotional response
  • Specialized
1 5.3

An automatic response learned when a neutral sound or sign is repeatedly paired with something that naturally causes it

adds that the reaction involves feelings rather than being purely automatic
learned response
vsconditioned emotional response
  • Specialized
1 5.7

A reaction a person develops from practice or experience, not one they are born with

is narrower, limiting the idea to reactions that produce feelings
CER
vsconditioned emotional response
  • Specialized
9.9

An emotional reaction learned when a neutral thing is linked to something scary

is the same but the term highlights learned feelings specifically
conditioned emotion
vsconditioned emotional response
  • Specialized
7.7

An emotional reaction people learn when a neutral thing like a sound becomes linked with fear or pleasure

is the same idea but names learned feelings rather than any reaction
conditioned reaction
vsconditioned emotional response
  • Specialized
5.0

A learned response that happens when a signal like a bell is paired with food many times

is similar but applies specifically when the reaction involves feelings
conditional response
vsconditioned emotional response
  • Specialized
7.2

A learned reaction to a sound or signal after it happens many times

is narrower, referring only to learned reactions that involve feelings
conditional reaction
vsconditioned emotional response
  • Specialized
7.4

A learned response that happens when a certain sound or signal appears, for example a dog drooling at a bell

differs by centering on reactions that are tied to feelings
conditional reflex
vsconditioned emotional response
  • Specialized
6.5

An automatic learned reaction to a signal after repeated practice, for example a dog drooling at a bell

is the same process but emphasizes that the outcome is a feeling
learned reaction
vsconditioned emotional response
  • Specialized
5.3

A way of acting you get from practice or experience

is a specific subset that involves learned emotional reactions

How Emotionally Intelligent

emotional intelligence
  • Specialized
4.1
conditioned emotional response
7.2

Surface Forms

Morphology

conditioned + emotional + response

All three constituents contribute their ordinary meanings: 'conditioned' (learned by association), 'emotional' (relating to feelings), and 'response' (a reaction), so the phrase literally denotes a learned emotional reaction. This compositional structure is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the component words can reliably infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Conditioned emotional response comes from old learning experiments where a neutral thing such as a sound or a place was always followed by something that caused a strong feeling. After this happened many times, the neutral thing alone began to cause that feeling, so the phrase means 'a learned emotional reaction'. The parts conditioned ('trained'), emotional ('feeling') and response ('reaction') show this idea.