Question

read the scenario below and answer the question that follows.

francis enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, carla. carla will often eat a large number of grilled onions before spending time with francis. one day, francis walks by a hot dog stand and smells some fresh grilled onions. suddenly, francis has a great desire to see carla.

what is the neutral stimulus (ns) in this scenario?
a. spending time with carla
b. a hot dog stand
c. grilled onions
d. spending time with francis

Explanation:

Identify the components of classical conditioning in the scenario

• Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): Spending time with Carla (naturally produces a positive emotional response/desire).
• Unconditioned Response (UCR): Happiness/desire to see Carla (natural response to being with her).
• Neutral Stimulus (NS) / Conditioned Stimulus (CS): The smell of grilled onions (initially has no association with Carla, but becomes associated with her after repeated pairings).
• Conditioned Response (CR): Desire to see Carla triggered specifically by the smell of grilled onions.

Match the Neutral Stimulus to the options

• The neutral stimulus that becomes conditioned is the smell of "grilled onions".
• This corresponds to option C.

Answer:

• (A) spending time with Carla
• (B) a hot dog stand</mcq-correct>
• (C) grilled onions (Correct answer)

<mcq-option>(D) spending time with Francis