A man feels anxious and a little sick to his stomach when he walked up to the front door of his old elementary school. School had been very hard for him and he remembers feeling “stupid” a lot of the time he was in school.
What is the unconditioned stimulus and unconditioned response?
I said that the unconditioned stimulus is the school. The unconditioned response is thoughts about learning. I do NOT feel confident about this.
What is the conditioned stimulus and conditioned response?
I said the conditioned stimulus is the school door and the conditioned response is feeling sick. I feel more confident about the conditioned response and stimulus.
Your answer for the unconditioned stimulus and unconditioned response is partially correct. The unconditioned stimulus is indeed the school, as it is the external factor that elicits the response. However, the unconditioned response is not specifically thoughts about learning, but rather the feeling of anxiety and sickness to the stomach that the man experiences when approaching the school.
For the conditioned stimulus and conditioned response, your answer is also partially correct. The conditioned stimulus is indeed the school door, as it is a neutral stimulus that becomes associated with the anxious and sick feelings through conditioning. However, the conditioned response is not feeling sick alone. It is the combination of the feeling of anxiety and sickness to the stomach that the man experiences when he walks up to the school door.
To summarize:
Unconditioned stimulus (US): The school
Unconditioned response (UR): Anxiety and feeling sick to the stomach when approaching the school
Conditioned stimulus (CS): The school door
Conditioned response (CR): Anxiety and feeling sick to the stomach when walking up to the school door.