Psychologist John Garcia conditioned rats to have a taste aversion to sweet-tasting water by injecting them with a drug that made them ill. Using classical conditioning terminology, what was the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) in this experimental situation?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The unconditioned stimulus (UCS) in this experimental situation was the drug that made the rats ill. This is because the UCS is the stimulus that naturally and automatically elicits a response without any prior learning. In this case, the drug naturally caused the rats to feel ill, without any prior conditioning.

Psychologist John Garcia Conditioned Rats to Have a Taste Aversion