Whenever five-year-old Claire goes to the dentist, she becomes anxious and cries. Since she was not afraid of the dentist on her first visit, her fear is a learned behavior. The US in this case was probably _________________
A) the dentist's beard
B) sweet toothpaste
C) painful teeth cleaning
D) small prizes given after the exam
Answer: C
Rationale: An unconditioned stimulus (US) is a stimulus that elicits a reflexive response without learning. In this example, the painful teeth cleaning elicits fear and crying reflexively. As a result of this US being paired with going to the dentist, the once neutral dentist comes to elicit a fear response.
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