Which learning theory explains learning via the association of two stimuli?

• A. Token economy
• B. Classical conditioning
• C. Personal constructs
• D. Card sort

Answer: (B)

Learning via the association of two stimuli is explained by classical conditioning. In this theory, a neutral stimulus gains the power to evoke a response after it is paired with a stimulus that naturally elicits that response. After repeated pairings, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus, and the response it triggers is the conditioned response.

A classic example is Pavlov’s dogs: the ringing bell (neutral stimulus) is paired with food (unconditioned stimulus) that naturally causes salivation (unconditioned response). Over time, the bell alone causes salivation, now a conditioned response. This illustrates how learning occurs through prediction—the organism learns to anticipate the second event based on the first.

In everyday terms, classical conditioning helps explain how emotional reactions can be learned through associations—for instance, how certain sounds or places can come to trigger a fear or comfort response after repeated pairings with a relevant event.

Token economy, by contrast, uses reinforcement and punishment to shape behavior after actions occur (operant conditioning), not through forming associations between two stimuli. Personal constructs involve an individual’s own system of beliefs and interpretations, a cognitive approach rather than associative learning. Card sort is a sorting task used for organizing ideas or assessing understanding, not a learning theory itself.