Question

Researchers have found that animals show evidence of classical conditioning if they are injected with a drug that chemically causes immunosuppression while they are simultaneously drinking an unusual-tasting liquid. In these studies, the conditioned response would be:

A) The injection of the drug.
B) The immunosuppression.
C) Fear of the injection process.
D) The taste of the liquid that is used.

Answer 1

In classical conditioning studies with animals, the conditioned response to an immunosuppressive drug paired with an unusual-tasting liquid would be the taste of the liquid itself (Option D), as the immune system learns to associate this taste with immunosuppression.

Step-by-step explanation:

Researchers found that animals can be classically conditioned to have an immune response, such as immunosuppression, by associating an unconditioned stimulus (the immunosuppressive drug) with a conditioned stimulus (an unusual-tasting liquid). In the studies referencing animals receiving a drug that causes immunosuppression while drinking an unusual-tasting liquid, the conditioned response would be the taste of the liquid used, which is option D. The drug itself is the unconditioned stimulus which naturally causes immunosuppression, the unconditioned response; over time, the unusual taste, once a neutral stimulus, becomes the conditioned stimulus associated with the immunosuppression. This outcome aligns with the principles of classical conditioning, where a previously neutral stimulus elicits a response that was initially produced by a naturally occurring stimulus.

Classical conditioning is an important concept in behavioral science, demonstrating that organisms can learn to associate one stimulus with another, resulting in a new behavior. This learning process has practical applications in areas ranging from health care to animal training.