Stimulus
Unconditioned stimulus (US) = stimulus produces a natural or instinctual reaction without any kind of “training” or “teaching”.
- Unconditioned stimulus (US) elicits an unconditioned response (UR)
Some examples:
- the food (US) automatically makes the dog drool (UR)
- loud noises (US) that startle us (UR)
- hot shower (US) that produces pleasure (UR)
Conditioned Stimulus (CS) = initially neutral stimulus (like a bell, light, or tone) that elicits a conditioned response after it has been associated with an unconditioned stimulus
- Conditioned Stimulus (CS) produces a conditioned response (CR)
Examples:
- the bell sound (CS) automatically makes the dog drool (UR) in Palvov’s experiment
- seeing the restaurant’s logo (CS) triggers a hunger feeling (CR).
In this example,
- The dog food is an unconditioned stimulus (US) because it elicits an unconditioned response (UR)