Which psychological concept involves associating a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned response?

The correct concept related to associating a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned response is classical conditioning. In this psychological framework, learning occurs when a previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus that elicits an automatic response. Through repeated pairings of the neutral stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus, the neutral stimulus transforms into a conditioned stimulus that now elicits a similar response on its own, which is referred to as a conditioned response.

A classic example is Pavlov's experiment with dogs, where he paired the sound of a bell (the neutral stimulus) with food (the unconditioned stimulus) until the dogs began to salivate at the sound of the bell alone. This highlights the fundamental mechanics of classical conditioning, where the association leads to a learned response.

The other concepts, such as operant conditioning, cognitive dissonance, and behavior modification, involve different mechanisms of learning and behavior change that do not focus on the association of a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned response in the same manner as classical conditioning does.