The first time a child is inoculated for measles, he responds by crying. The next time he visits the doctor for his booster shot, he cries as soon as he sees the nurse who gave him the first shot. In the context of classical conditioning, the pain associated with being injected represents the ________ and the nurse represents the ________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The pain associated with being injected is the Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS) because it naturally elicits a response (crying), and the nurse becomes the Conditioned Stimulus (CS) because the child has learned to associate her with the pain of the injection, leading to crying upon seeing her.  The unconditioned stimulus (the pain) does not require learning. The conditioned stimulus (the nurse) was paired with the UCS. This pairing resulted in the nurse having some of the power of the pain to elicit crying. Pain elicits crying naturally. The nurse does not.

The First Time a Child Is Inoculated for Measles, He