Question

Classical conditioning is a form of associative learning, learning produced by the pairing of stimuli and responses. Below, explain the situation being described in terms of classical conditioning. For each description, identify the neutral stimulus (NS), unconditioned stimulus (UCS), unconditioned response (UCR), conditioned stimulus (CS), and conditioned response (CR). Remember, the NS always becomes the CS to indicate the learning has taken place,

Example 1:

While caring for a friend’s dog, you notice that it displays a fear-like posture as you roll up a newspaper. You try this several times and become convinced that this dog is generally afraid of rolled up newspapers.

NS - CS -

UCS - CR -

UCR -

Example 2:

Joan, an animal trainer, has been phobic about monkeys since an earlier attack. However, because of the money, she has agreed to work with monkeys for a movie studio. At first, going anywhere near cages makes Joan tense, sweaty, and apprehensive. Lately, though, things have changed. Working with such cuddly, affectionate, human-like creatures is causing Joan to wonder why she ever felt such extreme distress.

NS - CS -

UCS -     CR -

UCR -

Example 3:

You have a meal at a fast food restaurant that causes food poisoning. The next time you see a sign for that restaurant, you feel nauseous.

NS - CS -

UCS - CR -

UCR -

Example 4:

The nurse says “Now this won’t hurt a bit” just before stabbing you with a needle. The next time you hear “This won’t hurt” you cringe in fear.

NS - CS -

UCS - CR -

UCR -

Answer 1

Neutral Stimulus-The stimulus which only attracts attention during a process but does not produce any specific response called neutral stimulus or NS.

Unconditional Stimulus-The The stimulus which triggers any response unconditionally is called unconditional stimulus or UCS.

When a stimulus is a type of neutral stimulus but later associate with the UCS, the conditional-response occurs during the process of conditioning, while unconditioned responses are associations that show a strong connection with the stimulus.

Sr.	Example	NS	CS	UCS	CR
1.	Example-1	Newspaper	Presence of newspaper	Rolling up the paper	Showing fear
2.	Example-2	Appearance of monkeys	Fear of monkey	Presence of Monkey	Affection, love, and curiosity
3.	Example-3	Food poisoning	Presentation of food	Food	Feeling sick
4.	Example-4	Needle	Hurting	Prepare for needle	Fear of needles