As a child,you were playing in the yard one day when a neighbor's cat wandered over. Your mother (who has a terrible fear of animals) screamed and snatched you into her arms. Her behavior caused you to cry. You now have a fear of cats. Identify the US.

A) your mother's behavior
B) your crying
C) the cat
D) your fear today

Question

Dyanne Souza · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : A, Explanation :  The US, or unconditioned stimulus, in this scenario is your mother's behavior of screaming and snatching you into her arms. This caused a negative emotional reaction in you, which serves as the UR, or unconditioned response. Over time, this negative association became linked with the presence of the cat, leading to a conditioned fear response. Therefore, the fear of cats (D) is the CR, or conditioned response, while the crying (B) is just a natural response to the negative experience. The cat (C) is just a neutral stimulus that became associated with the US, but is not inherently fear-inducing.

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