Question

Peter is punched by several bullies at school. Now, whenever a bully merely swings his fist at Peter, Peter winces. In this example, the unconditioned stimulus is:

Option a) The swinging fist
Option b) Peter's wincing
Option c) Peter being punched
Option d) Bullies at school

Answer 1

The unconditioned stimulus in the scenario with Peter and the bullies is Peter being punched, as it naturally triggers a response without the need for learning.

Step-by-step explanation:

In classical conditioning, the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is something that naturally and automatically triggers a response without any learning needed. In the context of your question about Peter and the bullies, the unconditioned stimulus is option c) Peter being punched. This is because getting punched is a naturally occurring stimulus that would cause a pain response (which is the unconditioned response) without the need for Peter to learn to feel pain from that action. The bullies' swinging fist becomes the conditioned stimulus after Peter starts associating it with being punched, even though it originally did not cause a wince. Therefore, Peter's wincing is the conditioned response to the conditioned stimulus of the swinging fist.