In the context of classical conditioning, in which scenario does sunblock serve as a conditioned stimulus?

• A. A person uses sunblock to prevent sunburn, but only applies it after already getting burned.
• B. A person applies sunblock and immediately feels cool because of the lotion's physical properties.
• C. A person chooses sunblock based on its SPF rating to avoid UV rays.
• D. A person applies sunblock before going outside, and after repeated pairings with sun exposure, begins to associate the smell of sunblock with the feeling of being at the beach.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of classical conditioning, which involves learning through association between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus that naturally elicits a response.
2. Step 2: Identify the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) and unconditioned response (UCR) in the scenario. For example, sun exposure (UCS) naturally causes the feeling of being at the beach (UCR).
3. Step 3: Recognize the neutral stimulus (NS) that initially does not elicit the response, which in this case is the smell of sunblock before conditioning.
4. Step 4: Observe the repeated pairing of the neutral stimulus (smell of sunblock) with the unconditioned stimulus (sun exposure), leading to the neutral stimulus becoming a conditioned stimulus (CS).
5. Step 5: Conclude that after conditioning, the smell of sunblock (CS) alone elicits the conditioned response (CR) of feeling like being at the beach, demonstrating classical conditioning.