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Max and his brother Jim play fight all the time. One time max hit Jim in the nose and it immediately started to sweep with pain. Now every time Max raises his hand, Jim flinches out of fear. What is the CS in this scenario?

User ChronoXIII
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Final answer:

Max raising his hand has become a conditioned stimulus that causes Jim to flinch, demonstrating Pavlovian conditioning. Jim's flinch is a physiological response linked to the body's fight-or-flight reaction, which is powered by hormones from the adrenal glands.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the scenario described, Max's raising of his hand has become a conditioned stimulus (CS) for his brother Jim. The CS is a previously neutral stimulus that, after becoming associated with the unconditioned stimulus (in this case, the painful hit on the nose), now triggers a conditioned response (CR), which is Jim's flinch in fear. This is a classic example of Pavlovian or classical conditioning, where a natural reflex (flinch in response to potential harm) becomes conditioned to a new trigger (Max's hand being raised).

The entire process exemplifies how fear can provoke automatic, physiological responses in the body. These responses, which include a racing heart, rapid breathing, and clammy hands, are part of the body's fight-or-flight reaction, which prepares an individual to either confront or escape a threat. This reaction is principally due to the secretion of hormones by the adrenal glands.

User Imogene
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