Alan always turns the aquarium light on before putting fish food into the tank. After a while he notices that the fish swim to the top to look for the food as soon as he turns on the light. In this example, the __________ is the unconditioned stimulus (US).
A) tank
B) fish swimming to the top
C) fish food
D) aquarium light

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The unconditioned stimulus (US) is the natural stimulus that elicits the unconditioned response (UR) without any prior learning. In this scenario, the fish food is the unconditioned stimulus because it naturally causes the fish to swim to the top without any conditioning or learning. The aquarium light is a neutral stimulus that Alan pairs with the fish food, but it does not naturally elicit the fish's response.

Alan Always Turns the Aquarium Light on Before Putting Fish