Conditioned Inhibition

Conditioned inhibition refers to a process in psychology where a conditioned stimulus (CS-) becomes associated with the absence or removal of an unconditioned stimulus (US), resulting in a decrease in the response or the conditioned response (CR) to the CS-.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS-)

The conditioned stimulus (CS-) is an initially neutral stimulus that, through a process of classical conditioning, comes to elicit a conditioned response (CR). In conditioned inhibition, the CS- is associated with the absence or removal of an unconditioned stimulus (US), leading to a decrease in the CR.

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

The unconditioned stimulus (US) is a stimulus that naturally elicits an unconditioned response (UR) without any prior learning or conditioning. In conditioned inhibition, the CS- becomes associated with the removal or absence of the US, leading to a decrease in the CR.

Conditioned Response (CR)

The conditioned response (CR) is a learned response that is elicited by a conditioned stimulus (CS) after it has been paired or associated with an unconditioned stimulus (US) through a process of classical conditioning. In conditioned inhibition, the CS- is associated with the absence or removal of the US, resulting in a decrease in the CR.

Example

An example of conditioned inhibition includes a dog that has been conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell (CS+) because it has been repeatedly paired with the presentation of food (US). However, if a second bell (CS-) is presented alone, without food (US), the dog may show a decrease in salivation response to the second bell due to the inhibitory conditioning, indicating conditioned inhibition.