Final answer:
The unconditioned stimulus in the advertising scenario where hot women are used in car commercials to appeal to straight men is option c) hot women, as it naturally triggers a response without previous conditioning.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of the unconditioned stimulus within an advertising scenario, where hot women are used in car commercials to appeal to straight men, we refer to principles of associative learning extensively used by advertisers. The correct answer to the question 'What is the unconditioned stimulus?' is c) hot women. This is because in the scenario described, the hot women are the element that naturally and automatically triggers the response of attraction or desire without previous conditioning. This response is then associated with the car, which is intended to be the conditioned stimulus. These advertising strategies leverage human behavior laws, suggesting a determinist position where choices can be influenced by carefully crafted stimuli.