What does classical conditioning involve?

Classical conditioning involves learning to associate an involuntary response to a new stimulus. This concept was famously demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov in his experiments with dogs, where he paired the sound of a bell (a neutral stimulus) with the presentation of food (an unconditioned stimulus) that naturally elicited salivation (an unconditioned response). Over time, the dogs learned to associate the bell with the food and would begin to salivate in response to the bell alone, which then became a conditioned stimulus. This highlights the process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an involuntary response, illustrating a fundamental principle of how behaviors can be learned through associations.

The other options pertain to different learning theories: reinforcement and punishment relate to operant conditioning, modeled behaviors pertain to social learning theory, and independent exploration involves constructivist approaches to learning. These are separate concepts that do not align with the principles of classical conditioning.