A child covers her ears when she sees fireworks, before actually hearing the sound of the fireworks. In this example, what classical conditioning term is used to label the sight of the fireworks?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The sight of the fireworks is the conditioned stimulus (CS) in this example because it is a previously neutral stimulus (meaning it does not naturally elicit a response) that becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus (the sound of the fireworks) through repeated pairings during the conditioning process. Eventually, the conditioned stimulus alone can elicit a response (covering the ears) without the presence of the unconditioned stimulus.

A Child Covers Her Ears When She Sees Fireworks, Before