What term describes the bell in Pavlov's experiments with dogs during and after conditioning?

In Pavlov's experiments with dogs, the bell is referred to as the conditioned stimulus after conditioning has taken place. Initially, the bell was a neutral stimulus that did not elicit any response from the dogs. However, through the process of classical conditioning, where the bell was paired repeatedly with the unconditioned stimulus (food), the dogs learned to associate the sound of the bell with the arrival of food. As a result, the bell began to elicit a response (salivation) on its own, thus becoming a conditioned stimulus. This transformation demonstrates the fundamental principle of classical conditioning, where a neutral stimulus can become a conditioned stimulus through association.