What term describes the automatic response to an eliciting stimulus?

What term describes the automatic response to an eliciting stimulus?

• A. Stimulus Control
• B. Unconditioned Response
• C. Unconditioned Stimulus
• D. Shaping

Answer: (B)

In classical conditioning, the automatic, reflexive reaction to a triggering stimulus is called the unconditioned response. This response occurs without any learning—it's an innate reflex. For example, presenting food (the unconditioned stimulus) to a hungry animal naturally causes salivation (the unconditioned response). After conditioning, a neutral cue like a bell can come to elicit a response, but that learned reaction is the conditioned response. The unconditioned stimulus is the thing that triggers the response, shaping is a gradual method for teaching new behaviors, and stimulus control refers to how environmental cues influence whether a behavior occurs.

In classical conditioning, the automatic, reflexive reaction to a triggering stimulus is called the unconditioned response. This response occurs without any learning—it's an innate reflex. For example, presenting food (the unconditioned stimulus) to a hungry animal naturally causes salivation (the unconditioned response). After conditioning, a neutral cue like a bell can come to elicit a response, but that learned reaction is the conditioned response. The unconditioned stimulus is the thing that triggers the response, shaping is a gradual method for teaching new behaviors, and stimulus control refers to how environmental cues influence whether a behavior occurs.