Bernstein applied principles of classical conditioning to the study of taste aversion in young patients undergoing chemotherapy.The children were given some unusually flavored ice cream just before the chemotherapy.Later, the children showed an aversion to that flavor of ice cream.In this example of classical conditioning, the chemotherapy was:
A)an unconditioned stimulus
B)an unconditioned response
C)a conditioned stimulus
D)a conditioned response

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The chemotherapy is an unconditioned stimulus because it naturally elicits a certain response (nausea) in the young patients. The unusual flavored ice cream is a neutral stimulus that becomes associated with the chemotherapy and eventually elicits the same response (nausea) as the chemotherapy. Therefore, the chemotherapy is the unconditioned stimulus that triggers the unconditioned response (nausea), while the unusual flavored ice cream becomes the conditioned stimulus that eventually elicits the conditioned response (aversion to that flavor of ice cream).

Bernstein Applied Principles of Classical Conditioning to the Study of Taste