Aaron has a needle phobia.Which pair below correctly identifies a stimulus or response in the conditioning of his phobia?
A) conditioned stimulus - pain; tissue damage
B) unconditioned stimulus - anxiety; fear
C) neutral stimulus - the needle itself
D) unconditioned stimulus - the needle

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

DC) The needle itself starts as a neutral stimulus because, before conditioning, it does not elicit a fear response on its own. Through association with pain or fear, it can become a conditioned stimulus.D) The needle can be considered an unconditioned stimulus if the sight of the needle or the anticipation of being pricked by it naturally elicits a fear or anxiety response without prior conditioning. This is because the fear response does not need to be learned; it occurs naturally upon encountering the needle.

Aaron Has a Needle Phobia