In Pavlov's classic experiments with dogs and salivation, food serves as the
A) conditioned stimulus.
B) conditioned response.
C) unconditioned stimulus.
D) unconditioned response.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In Pavlov's experiments, the unconditioned stimulus is the food, which naturally triggers the unconditioned response of salivation in the dogs. Through repeated pairing of a neutral stimulus (such as a bell) with the food, the dogs eventually learn to associate the bell with the presence of food and begin to salivate at the sound of the bell alone. In this scenario, the bell becomes the conditioned stimulus, and salivation in response to the bell becomes the conditioned response.

In Pavlov's Classic Experiments with Dogs and Salivation, Food Serves