In a conditioning experiment, a sound is paired with a brief puff of air to the eye of the rabbit. After several pairings, the rabbit ultimately blinks its eye when it hears the sound. Which of the following is true?
A) The blinking of the eye serves as stimulus.
B) The puff of air serves as the unconditioned stimulus.
C) The puff of air serves as the conditioned stimulus.
D) The blinking of the eye serves as the conditioned stimulus.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In classical conditioning, the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is the stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response, without any prior learning. In this experiment, the puff of air to the eye is the UCS, as it naturally and automatically causes the rabbit to blink its eye. The sound is the conditioned stimulus (CS), because it initially had no effect on the rabbit's behavior, but after being paired with the puff of air, it became associated with the UCS and came to elicit the same response (eye blinking). The blinking of the eye serves as the conditioned response (CR), which is the learned response to the CS.

In a Conditioning Experiment, a Sound Is Paired with a Brief