Josie has found that when she opens up the cupboard door to get the cat food, the cats come running to the kitchen. Josie knows that this is classical conditioning, that the unconditioned stimulus is the __________ and that the conditioned stimulus is the __________.
A) cat food; cupboard door opening
B) kitchen; cat food
C) cupboard door opening; cat food
D) cat food; kitchen

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In classical conditioning, the unconditioned stimulus is something that naturally and automatically triggers a response without any learning needed, which in this case is the cat food because it naturally makes the cats come running as they expect to be fed. The conditioned stimulus is something that a subject learns to respond to over time, which in this case is the cupboard door opening. The cats have learned to associate the sound of the cupboard door with getting fed.

Josie Has Found That When She Opens Up the Cupboard