In the Little Albert study, the unconditioned stimulus was:
AThe white rat that Albert played with
BThe loud clang of a hammer on steel
CAlbert's crying and his fear response
DThe furry Santa Claus mask he was shown
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. The loud clang of a hammer on steel
1. The unconditioned stimulus is the one that produces a reflex with no learning.
2. Albert showed a reflexive fear of sudden loud noises, so the loud sound made by striking a hammer against a metal bar is the unconditioned stimulus.
3. Albert initially played happily with the white rat, proving the rat began as a neutral stimulus; after pairing it became the conditioned stimulus.
4. Crying is the response, not a stimulus, and the Santa Claus mask illustrates later generalization.
5. Mislabelling the rat as the unconditioned stimulus is the classic error here.
_Source: OpenStax Psychology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 6 "Learning", §6.2 Classical Conditioning_
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