Beth received a painful shock while turning on her television. Now she reacts with fear whenever she sees a television. What is the television in this example?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The television in this example acts as a conditioned stimulus as it is causing the fear response due to its association with the painful shock, which was the unconditioned stimulus. Initially, the television may have been a neutral stimulus, but after the association is formed, it becomes a conditioned stimulus. It is not a reinforced stimulus, as there is no indication that the fear response is being reinforced by any kind of reward, and it is not an unconditioned stimulus because it was not inherently associated with fear prior to the conditioning process.

Beth Received a Painful Shock While Turning on Her Television