Which process involves a previously neutral stimulus becoming a conditioned stimulus through association?

The process described involves higher-order conditioning, which occurs when a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus due to its association with an already established conditioned stimulus. In this process, the neutral stimulus does not need a direct pairing with an unconditioned stimulus; instead, it is paired with an existing conditioned stimulus. For example, if a dog has learned to associate the sound of a bell (conditioned stimulus) with food (unconditioned stimulus), the dog can then learn to associate a light (neutral stimulus) that is presented alongside the bell with food as well. Eventually, the light can elicit the same response as the bell, thus becoming a conditioned stimulus itself.

This differs from the other concepts mentioned. Discrimination refers to the ability to distinguish between different stimuli, thereby responding only to a specific conditioned stimulus while ignoring others. Counter-conditioning involves changing an emotional response to a conditioned stimulus by associating it with a new, incompatible emotional response. Extinction is the process through which a conditioned response diminishes or disappears when the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus. Thus, higher-order conditioning stands out as the process that directly describes the relationship where a neutral stimulus transitions to a conditioned stimulus through association with another conditioned stimulus.