Question

Whenever Kim and Russ make love, they always play Ravel's classic instrumental work "Boléro" in the background. One day, as Kim is walking past a music appreciation class, she realizes that the class is listening to Ravel's "Boléro." As she continues to walk down the hall, she smiles to herself as erotic thoughts of Russ cross her mind. Which of the following best represents the unconditioned stimulus in this example?

a. sexual arousal in response to the classical work "Boléro"
b. the sound of Ravel's "Boléro"
c. the sight of the musical appreciation classroom
d. intimate physical contact with her partner

Answer 1

In the given example, the unconditioned stimulus is the intimate physical contact with her partner, which naturally elicits sexual arousal, the unconditioned response.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the scenario provided, where Kim associates the sound of Ravel's Boléro with intimate moments with her partner, the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is intimate physical contact with her partner. This is because the UCS is the stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response without prior conditioning. The sexual arousal that Kim experiences is the unconditioned response (UCR) to this stimulus. The sound of Ravel's Boléro initially begins as a neutral stimulus, but over time, it becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS), eliciting a conditioned response (CR) of sexual arousal due to its repeated association with the unconditioned stimulus of intimate physical contact.