Six-year-old Blair liked the first grade right up until her teacher, Ms. Havemayer, took maternity leave. The substitute teacher, old Mrs. Snarly, was strict and scolded Blair on several occasions, making her cry. On one Saturday morning as Blair was helping her father with grocery shopping, she suddenly came face to face with old Mrs. Snarly. Blair instantly burst into tears. For Blair, Mrs. Snarly in the grocery store is an example of a(n):
A) conditioned stimulus.
B) unconditioned response.
C) unconditioned stimulus.
D) conditioned response.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Blair's crying in response to seeing Mrs. Snarly in the grocery store indicates that Mrs. Snarly has become a conditioned stimulus for Blair's emotional response. Blair's crying is not an unconditioned response because it was not an automatic, unlearned response to seeing Mrs. Snarly, but rather a learned response based on her negative experiences with her as a substitute teacher. Therefore, options B and C are incorrect. D is also incorrect as the crying is not an example of a conditioned response because it is not a learned response to a previously neutral stimulus.

Six-Year-Old Blair Liked the First Grade Right Up Until Her