When Ling was eight years old, she was startled and began to cry when a car backfired just as she was walking under a ladder. As an adult, Ling is still terrified of ladders. Based on principles of classical conditioning, what term is used to label the sound of the car backfiring?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The sound of the car backfiring is the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) because it naturally and automatically triggers a response (startling and crying) without any prior conditioning.

When Ling Was Eight Years Old, She Was Startled and Began