The sea slug Aplysia withdraws its gills if it is squirted with water.If the squirts continue,as they do in nature,the withdrawal response will diminish.But if the sea slug receives an electric shock after being squirted,the withdrawal of the gills grows stronger.In applying classical conditioning to the example of the sea slug,the squirt of water is the
A) unconditioned response.
B) unconditioned stimulus.
C) neutral stimulus.
D) conditioned response.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The squirt of water is the unconditioned stimulus because it naturally and automatically produces the response of gill withdrawal without any prior learning or conditioning. The sea slug has not been trained or conditioned to respond in this way.

The Sea Slug Aplysia Withdraws Its Gills If It Is