Which of the following represents the initial stage of learning in the process of conditioning?

Acquisition is the initial stage of conditioning, when the learner begins forming an association between stimuli or between a behavior and its consequence. Generalization and discrimination describe how a learned response spreads to similar stimuli or becomes limited to a particular stimulus. Stimulus contiguity means stimuli occur close together in time; it can support learning but is not the name of the initial stage.

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