What is unconditioned stimulus in psychology?
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Unconditioned stimulus is any stimulus that has the capacity to reflexively induce a biological reaction which usually enhances adaption and survival Show
IntroductionLiving organisms are endowed with a number of responses to unconditional stimuli to prepare them to adapt and survive (Baum 2017). Unconditional stimuli refer to any stimuli which naturally and automatically induce innate reactions, that is, reactions that are not leaned by living beings; they are biologically endowed to them to be able to respond to unconditioned stimuli (McSweeney and Murphy 2014). The reactions that are induced by unconditioned stimuli are referred to as unconditioned responses since they arise automatically and naturally. For instance, an individual who receives a puff of air in the eye area responses with an eyeblink. The puff of air constitutes an unconditioned stimulus and respectively the eyeblink an... This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution. Baum, W. M. (2017). Understanding behaviorism: Behavior, culture, and evolution. Hoboken: Wiley. CrossRef Google Scholar McSweeney, F. K., & Murphy, E. S. (2014). The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of operant and classical conditioning. Malden: Wiley. CrossRef Google Scholar Ramnero, J., & Torneke, N. (2011). The ABCs of human behavior: Behavioral principles for the practicing clinician. Reno: Context Press. Google Scholar Schachtman, T. R. (2011). Associative learning and conditioning theory: Human and non-human applications. New York: Oxford University Press. CrossRef Google Scholar Shanks, D. R. (1995). The psychology of associative learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. CrossRef Google Scholar Spence, K. W. (1978). Behavior theory and conditioning. Westport: Greenwood Press. Google Scholar Thines, G. (1987). From Darwin to behaviourism. Behavioural Processes, 15(2–3), 345. https://doi.org/10.1016/0376-6357(87)90018-0. Google Scholar Download references Author informationAuthors and Affiliations
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Corresponding authorCorrespondence to Christoforos Christoforou . Editor informationEditors and Affiliations
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Rights and permissionsReprints and Permissions Copyright information© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG About this entryCite this entryChristoforou, C. (2018). Unconditioned Stimulus. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1041-1 In classical conditioning, an unconditioned stimulus (US or UCS) is any stimulus that can evoke a response without the organism going through any previous learning; the response to the US (the unconditioned response) occurs naturally. For example, if you smell a lemon, it might get a sour taste in your mouth and you may salivate. This may occur from the time you are born and can occur without you ever having tasted a lemon before. The lemon, therefore, is a US since it produced the salivation and sour taste (the UR) naturally, without you having any previous experience with lemons. In the learning process known as classical conditioning, the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is one that unconditionally, naturally, and automatically triggers a response. In other words, the response takes place without any prior learning. Contrast this with the condition stimulus. It only prompts a response after a person or animal has learned to associate the stimulus with a certain response. Examples of Unconditioned StimuliUnconditioned stimuli are all around us. Think about:
In each of these examples, the unconditioned stimulus naturally triggers an unconditioned response or reflex. You don't have to learn to respond to the unconditioned stimulus; it occurs automatically. The Unconditioned Stimulus in Pavlov's ExperimentIn Ivan Pavlov's classic experiment with dogs, Pavlov and his assistants showed the dogs edible and non-edible items and measured saliva production with each. Salivation occurred automatically and without the dogs' conscious effort when they smelled the food. This response required no learning. The food was an unconditioned stimulus because it prompted a reflexive response. The Little Albert ExperimentBuilding on Pavlov's work, behaviorist John B. Watson and graduate student Rosalie Rayner conducted what came to be known as "the Little Albert experiment." The research showed that emotional reactions could be classically conditioned in people. Watson and Rayner exposed a 9-month-old child, Albert, to a white rat, a rabbit, a monkey, masks, and burning newspapers and observed the boy's reactions. He showed no fear of them at first. But after Watson began making a loud noise—an unconditioned stimulus that provoked Albert's crying—whenever he showed Albert the white rat, Albert became frightened whenever he saw the white rat. Because he'd learned to associate the white rat with a noise he feared, he ultimately reacted with fear to the rat as well. The rat, once a neutral stimulus, had become a conditioned stimulus. The Neutral StimulusFor the purposes of classical conditioning or learning, you need a neutral stimulus as well as an unconditioned stimulus. In other words, for conditioning to take place, you must first start by pairing a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus. A neutral stimulus doesn't trigger any particular response at first, but when used together with an unconditioned stimulus, it can effectively stimulate learning, eventually becoming a conditioned stimulus. A good example of a neutral stimulus is a sound or a song. When it is initially presented, the neutral stimulus has no effect on behavior. As it is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus, it will begin to cause the same response as the UCS. For example, the assistants in Pavlov's experiment initially elicited no salivation and therefore were neutral stimuli. Likewise, the sound of a squeaky door opening is initially a neutral stimulus. If that sound is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus, such as feeding your cat, that sound will eventually come to trigger a change in your cat's behavior. Once an association has been formed, your cat may react as if it is being fed every time it hears the squeaky door open. Unconditioned Stimulus vs. Conditioned StimulusAn unconditioned stimulus causes a response without any prior learning on the part of the subject. The response is automatic and occurs without thought. In contrast, a conditioned stimulus produces a reaction only after the subject has learned to associate it with a given outcome. In Pavlov's experiments, the dogs learned to salivate when they saw the assistants' white lab coats because they'd formed an association between the assistants and the food they presented, The salivary response to the assistants was not an automatic, physiological process, but a learned one. The presence of the assistants, initially a neutral stimulus, became a conditioned stimulus. Timing of Learned BehaviorThroughout the classical conditioning process, a number of factors can influence how quickly associations are learned. The length of time that passes between presenting the initially neutral stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus is one of the most important factors in whether learning occurs. The timing of how the neutral stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus are presented is what influences whether or not an association will be formed, a principle that is known as the theory of contiguity. Types of Classical ConditioningIn Pavlov's experiment, the sound of a buzzer was initially a neutral stimulus, while the smell of food was an unconditioned stimulus. Presenting the tone close to presenting the smell of food resulted in a stronger association. Ringing the buzzer, the neutral stimulus, long before the unconditioned stimulus led to a much weaker or even nonexistent association. Different types of conditioning may use different timing or order between the neutral stimulus and the UCS. What is a unconditioned stimulus in simple terms?What is an unconditioned stimulus? In classical conditioning, an unconditioned stimulus (US or UCS) is defined as any stimulus that can naturally and automatically trigger a response without prior learning or practice. It is also called the primary reinforcer.
What is an unconditioned response in psychology?Definition. An unconditioned response is a response that is reflexive and involuntary in nature, which is reliably induced every time an organism comes across to biologically significant stimuli.
What is a conditioned stimulus vs unconditioned stimulus?While a conditioned stimulus produces a learned response to the previously neutral stimulus, the unconditioned stimulus naturally and automatically triggers a response without any previous learning. There is no necessity to learn to respond to an unconditioned stimulus.
What is the conditioned stimulus in psychology?a neutral stimulus that is repeatedly associated (see pairing) with an unconditioned stimulus until it acquires the ability to elicit a response that it previously did not.
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