An infant's sibling always jumps off his bed with a loud bang when he wakes up from his nap. He then comes downstairs and greets the infant with a tickle, making the infant laugh and cough reflexively. Eventually, the infant begins to laugh and cough reflexively when he hears the bang, even before he sees his brother. In this scenario, the loud bang is a(n)

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The loud bang is a neutral stimulus at first, but because it is repeatedly paired with the tickling that causes the infant to laugh and cough reflexively, it becomes associated with that response. Once the infant begins to laugh and cough reflexively when he hears the bang, it has become a conditioned stimulus.

An Infant's Sibling Always Jumps Off His Bed with a Loud