Stimulus OR Stimuli ??

A stimulus is anything that can trigger a

physical or behavioral change. The plural of Stimulus or Stimuli ?????
stimulus is stimuli. Stimuli can be external or
internal.

An example of external stimuli is your body

responding to a medicine.

Stimuli are changes in the environment, and

organisms must be able to adapt, or adjust, to
these changes in order to survive these
conditions.

Stimuli come in many forms, but are usually

the result of an energy source, such as light or
sound, or a natural force, such as gravity.
The role of external stimuli in affecting human behavior is a central
component of behaviorism, espoused by Pavlov (1927) and Watson (1913).

Behaviorism is a theory of learning which postulates that animal

and human behavior is a result of associations with environmental
stimuli, called learning by association.
Two types of stimuli exist in a classical conditioning scenario: the unconditioned
stimulus (UCS) and the conditioned stimulus (CS).

● The unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is a stimulus that naturally

triggers a response in the organism. For example, the presence of food
naturally makes a dog salivate. - THIS IS UNLEARNED

● The conditioned stimulus (CS) is a stimulus which has no inherent

meaning to the organism. But, because it has been repeatedly
associated with the UCS, it begins to also evoke the organism’s
response.
Unconditioned Stimulus (UCR)
An unconditioned stimulus is a stimulus that leads to an automatic response.
 ➔ The smell of a favorite food, which immediately makes
you feel hungry.

➔ A feather tickling your nose, which causes you to sneeze.

Unconditioned Stimulus

➔ An onion's smell as you cut it, which makes your eyes

Examples of the

water.

➔ Pollen from grass and flowers, which causes you to sneeze.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
A conditioned stimulus is a stimulus that can eventually trigger a conditioned response.
 Food Followed by Illness - You eat a burrito for lunch but become ill shortly after.
While the food you ate was previously a neutral stimulus, it becomes a conditioned
stimulus through its association with the unconditioned stimulus (illness). As a result,
you may develop a taste aversion in which just the idea of eating that same food
again causes you to feel ill.

Dog Attack - You are out riding your bike one day and are attacked by a dog. Now,
Conditioned Stimulus

the place where you were attacked has become a conditioned stimulus and you
experience fear every time you pass that spot.
Examples of the

Hotel Bell - A hotel concierge begins to respond every time he hears the ringing of a
bell. Because the bell has become associated with the sight of customers needing
assistance, the bell has become a conditioned stimulus.

Lunch Bell - Students hear the sound of a bell right before they are released for
lunch. Eventually, just the sound of the bell alone causes the students to become hungry.
Neutral Stimulus (NS)
A neutral stimulus is a stimulus which initially produces no specific
response other than focusing attention.
 Coffee Beans: When humans first encountered the coffee bean, it had no inherent
meaning. However, because it has been repeatedly associated with pleasures that come
from consumption, it now has meaning.

Paper Currency: The paper that represents currency is not inherently significant. It is
just a piece of paper. It has attained its meaning because of its power to acquire goods
and services.

The Padaung Tribe: Females in the padaung tribe elongate their necks by wearing brass
Neutral Stimulus
Examples of the

rings starting at an early age. The elongated neck is an example of a neutral stimulus
that is today considered more attractive because of its cultural meaning.

Letter Grades: Before attending school, the letters ABC had no intrinsic meaning.
However, because they become quickly associated with levels of performance, each one
begins to take on a meaning and significance…and supposed implications as to one’s
level of intelligence and future earning potential.
 The Hypodermic Needle: The first time a human infant sees a hypodermic needle it has
no meaning whatsoever. However, after it has been used one time, it takes on immediate
meaning. The pain from the needle penetrating the skin means that the next time the
infant sees the needle, they may experience intense fear.

Musical Preferences: There may be some musical notes which are innately pleasing or
aversive, however, a preference for a particular genre of music is a function of culture.
For instance, being raised in a household of jazz-fusion musicians will lead to a
Neutral Stimulus

preference for that genre. However, play that music to members of an Aboriginal tribe
Examples of the

and their reactions may be quite different.


Unconditioned Response (UCR)
An unconditioned response the response that is
naturally triggered by the UCS. It occurs
automatically and requires no learning through
association.
For example, food will automatically make an
animal salivate. So, the salivation is referred to as
the UCR.
★ The unconditioned response is natural and
automatic
★ The unconditioned response is innate and
requires no prior learning
➢ Gasping in pain after being stung by a bee
➢ Jerking your hand back after touching a hot plate on
the oven
➢ Jumping at the sound of a loud noise
➢ Twitching your leg in response to a doctor tapping on
your knee
➢ Salivating in response to a sour taste
➢ Jumping back from a growling dog
➢ Feeling hungry when you smell some delicious food
➢ Closing your eyes in response to a bright light
➢ Frowning when you feel upset
➢ Laughing when you hear a humorous joke
➢ Experiencing the fight-or-flight reaction when you
encounter a threat or danger in your environment
conditioned Response (CR)
An conditioned response is the response that is triggered by the CS (i.e., neutral
stimulus). The CR is nearly identical to the UCR.

Some examples of conditioned responses include: Phobias: If you witness a terrible

car accident, you might develop a fear of driving.

★ The conditioned response will occur only after an association has been made
between the UCS and the CS
★ The conditioned response is a learned response
Important terms to know
Acquisition: The association between the unconditioned stimulus and the neutral
stimulus is first made during acquisition. The two are repeatedly paired until the
neutral stimulus begins to elicit a response.3 In other words, the neutral stimulus
becomes a conditioned stimulus during the acquisition stage.

Extinction: During extinction, the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the
unconditioned stimulus. As a result, the conditioned response may eventually disappear.

Spontaneous recovery: During spontaneous recovery, a previously extinct response might

suddenly reappear.
Generalization happens when an organism responds to something similar to the
conditioned stimulus.5

For example, if a dog was conditioned to respond to a certain bell tone, they might
generalize it to other sounds. As a result, they would produce the same response when
they hear those different sounds.

Discrimination involves being able to distinguish between the conditioned stimulus and
similar stimuli. This means the organism will only respond to the conditioned stimulus
and not similar stimuli.
● Response Generalization: In response generalization, we tend to respond to the same
stimulus in multiple different ways. For example, a child may respond to a film by
jumping up and down, squealing with job, or laughing, but each response generally
means the same thing.

● Stimulus Generalization: In stimulus generalization, we tend to respond in the same

way to multiple related stimuli. It often occurs to army veterans, for example, who
jump at loud sounds. They have generalized the sound of explosions and other loud
noises in an urban environment, leading to a strong fight or flight reaction that
was necessary in war zones.