Identifying Stimuli and Responses in Classical Conditioning- Samiyah English

Review the following examples and be prepared to identify the unconditioned stimulus (UCS), conditioned stimulus (CS), unconditioned response (UCR), and conditioned response (CR) for each.

  1. At her two-year checkup, Rebecca was due for several vaccines. As soon as the nurse pricked her with the needle, she began to cry. At her visit one year later, Rebecca began to cry as soon as the nurse called her back for her appointment.

UCS: The needle prick (pain)

UCR: crying from the pain of the needle prick

CS: Being called by the nurse

CR: Crying when being called (associated with painful needle prick)

  1. Without checking, James made himself a tuna sandwich with mayonnaise that had been left out and had already begun to grow bacteria. Later that afternoon he became extremely sick. Several weeks later, he was out to eat and saw a tuna melt on the restaurant menu and immediately began to feel nauseous.

UCS: The spoiled mayonnaise on the tuna sandwich

UCR: Getting sick from the bacterial growth

CS: Seeing the tuna melt on the menu

CR: James becoming nauseous at the sight of it on the menu.

  1. After just getting her driver’s license, Laura was hit by another car when going through an intersection. Now, whenever she goes through that intersection, her heart begins to race.

UCS: The car accident

UCR: fear and anxiety after the event at the intersection

CS: the sight of the intersection

CR: heart-racing anxiety when crossing it

  1. Three-year-old Steven was having the best time at his birthday party. His parents had decorated the house with colorful streamers and balloons for the occasion. When one of his friends started playing roughly with one of the balloons and it popped, he was scared by the loud noise and started to cry. He was invited to a friend’s party several months later. When he arrived and saw balloons he began to cry.

UCS: the loud noise from the balloon popping

UCR: crying from the loud noise

CS: seeing balloons

CR: crying at the sight of balloons