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Susan is undergoing chemotherapy, which makes her feel nauseous. Now she feels nauseous the moment she walks into the doctor's office. What is the unconditioned response in this situation?

Question 58 options:
a)chemotherapy
b)the doctor's office
c)dread
d)nausea

User Droidx
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

d)nausea. In Susan's case of classical conditioning, the unconditioned response to chemotherapy is the development of nausea, which occurs automatically without prior learning. This makes 'd) nausea' the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the provided scenario, when Susan feels nauseous upon entering the doctor's office due to chemotherapy, this phenomenon is an example of classical conditioning in action. The question asks us to identify the unconditioned response in this situation. An unconditioned response is a natural reaction that occurs automatically when presented with an unconditioned stimulus. In the context of classical conditioning, when Susan receives chemotherapy and experiences nausea, the unconditioned stimulus is the chemotherapy, and the resulting nausea is the unconditioned response. This response does not require prior learning or conditioning. As cancer treatment continues, Susan's body begins to associate the chemotherapy with the doctor's office. Therefore, upon repeated exposure to the doctor's office, she begins to feel nauseated, which has now become a conditioned response.

From the options provided, the correct answer is d) nausea, as it is the response to the chemotherapy that occurs naturally without any conditioning. The doctor's office is the conditioned stimulus (CS), which, after being paired with the chemotherapy, starts to elicit the conditioned response of nausea, which was originally an unconditioned response.

User Niclas Larsson
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