In the Little Albert experiment, what were the unconditioned response and the conditioned stimulus?

• A. White rat; salivating
• B. Crying; bell.
• C. White rat; bell.
• D. Crying; white rat.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the key terms: In classical conditioning, the 'unconditioned response' (UR) is the natural, automatic reaction to an unconditioned stimulus (US), while the 'conditioned stimulus' (CS) is a previously neutral stimulus that, after being paired with the unconditioned stimulus, triggers a conditioned response (CR).
2. Review the Little Albert experiment: This was a study conducted by John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner, where a young child (Albert) was conditioned to fear a white rat by pairing it with a loud, frightening noise (the unconditioned stimulus).
3. Identify the unconditioned response: In the experiment, the loud noise naturally caused Albert to cry. Crying is the unconditioned response because it occurred automatically in reaction to the loud noise.
4. Identify the conditioned stimulus: The white rat, initially a neutral stimulus, became the conditioned stimulus after being repeatedly paired with the loud noise. Over time, Albert began to cry (conditioned response) when he saw the white rat, even without the noise.
5. Match the terms to the correct answer: Based on the definitions and the experiment, the unconditioned response is 'crying,' and the conditioned stimulus is the 'white rat.'