Final answer:
The irrational fear and anxiety that a person with a phobia experiences are classified as a conditioned response, which develops after a neutral stimulus becomes associated with fear through the process of classical conditioning.
Step-by-step explanation:
When an individual has a phobia, the irrational fear and anxiety experienced is a conditioned response. In the process of classical conditioning, the person is conditioned to associate a neutral stimulus with a negative or fear-inducing experience, which then becomes a conditioned stimulus. This process can be related to the famous experiment by Watson and Rayner where Little Albert developed a fear of a white rat, which was initially a neutral stimulus but became a conditioned stimulus after being paired with a loud scary noise, creating a conditioned response of fear. In contrast, an unconditioned response is a naturally occurring response, like salivation in Pavlov's dogs upon seeing food, which is an unconditioned stimulus.