The initial stage, also known as acquisition, refers to the phase in classical conditioning when a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus.
Related terms
Neutral Stimulus: A neutral stimulus is a stimulus that initially does not elicit any particular response or reaction.
Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): An unconditioned stimulus is a stimulus that naturally triggers a response without prior learning.
Classical Conditioning: Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which an organism learns to associate two stimuli and anticipate events.