What happens during the acquisition phase of learning?

During the acquisition phase of learning, particularly in classical conditioning, the primary focus is on the establishment of a conditioned response. This phase involves repeatedly pairing a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus until the neutral stimulus elicits a response on its own, which is then referred to as the conditioned response. For example, if a sound (neutral stimulus) is paired with food (unconditioned stimulus) that naturally causes salivation (unconditioned response), the sound eventually can trigger salivation by itself after several pairings.

Acquisition is a critical stage because it is during this time that the association between the stimulus and the response strengthens, allowing the organism to learn that one stimulus predicts the occurrence of another. This process is fundamental to many forms of learning and underpins our understanding of behavior modification through conditioning techniques.