How does a conditioned stimulus elicit a response?

A conditioned stimulus elicits a response through stimulus-stimulus pairing, which is a fundamental concept in classical conditioning. This process occurs when a neutral stimulus is repeatedly presented alongside an unconditioned stimulus that automatically elicits a response. Over time, the neutral stimulus becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus and begins to elicit a similar response on its own. For example, if a bell (neutral stimulus) is consistently paired with the presentation of food (unconditioned stimulus), the sound of the bell may eventually cause salivation (conditioned response) even when food is not presented.

This pairing is crucial because it illustrates how learning occurs through associations rather than by direct reinforcement or by the influence of the consequences of behavior, which would be related to operant conditioning. Reinforcement and punishment are more closely tied to responses that are shaped by the consequences that follow a behavior rather than through the association of stimuli.