While sitting on a picnic blanket at the park, Sami didn't notice ants swarming around her feet and repeatedly biting her. The bites were very itchy, and her feet became swollen. Now each time she goes to the park for a picnic, she feels itchy and uncomfortable. What is going to the park for a picnic in this scenario?

Question

Unconditioned stimulus
Unconditioned response
Conditioned stimulus
Conditioned response

Answer 1

In this scenario, going to the park for a picnic can be classified as the Conditioned Stimulus.

Here's the reasoning:

• The unconditioned stimulus (US) is the ants biting Sami, which causes her to feel discomfort (itchiness and swelling).
• The unconditioned response (UR) is the natural response to those bites, which is the discomfort and itching.
• After experiencing the negative effects of the bites during her picnic, the act of going to the park (Conditioned Stimulus) becomes associated with the discomfort (Conditioned Response) she now feels when she thinks about or goes to the park for a picnic.

So, the correct answer is Conditioned Stimulus.