Examples of the Unconditioned Response in Classical Conditioning

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsUnconditioned Responses ExamplesHow It WorksUnconditioned vs. Conditioned ResponseExtinction Can Affect Conditioned Responses

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Table of Contents

Unconditioned Responses Examples

How It Works

Unconditioned vs. Conditioned Response

Extinction Can Affect Conditioned Responses

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Inclassical conditioning, an unconditioned response is an unlearned response that occurs naturally in reaction to theunconditioned stimulus.For example, if the smell of food is the unconditioned stimulus, the feeling of hunger in response to the smell of food is the unconditioned response.

The unconditioned response doesn’t require any prior learning for it to happen. Instead, it’s the involuntary, automatic reaction to a particular stimulus.

At a Glance

Classical conditioning can be a powerful tool for learning andbehavior change. Understanding the different aspects of the conditioning process, including the unconditioned response, can help you better recognize how the process can affect your own behaviors. One of the best ways to learn about the unconditioned response (as well as other parts of the process) is to consider some examples from your own life.

Have you ever accidentally touched a hot pan and jerked your hand back in response? That immediate, unlearned reaction is an excellent example of an unconditioned response. It occurs without any type of learning or training.

Some more examples of unconditioned responses include:

In each of the above examples, the unconditioned response occurs naturally and automatically.

Researchers have found that having a stronger unconditioned response to aversive stimuli may predict conditions related to fear and safety, includingtrauma- andanxiety-related conditionssuch aspost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Unconditioned Response in Classical Conditioning

InPavlov’s classic experiment, the food represents what is known as theunconditioned stimulus(UCS). The UCS naturally and automatically triggers a response.

Pavlov’s dogs salivating in response to the food is an example of the unconditioned response.

By repeatedly pairing aconditioned stimulus(the sound of the buzzer) with the unconditioned stimulus (the food), the animals eventually came to associate the sound of the buzzer with the presentation of food. At this point, salivating in response to the sound of the buzzer became theconditioned response.

Unconditioned Response vs. Conditioned Response

When trying to distinguish between the unconditioned response and the conditioned response, try to keep a few key things in mind:

For example, you naturally tend to tear up whenever you are cutting onions. As you are making dinner, you also enjoy listening to music and find yourself playing the same song quite often. Eventually, you find that when you hear the song you often play during your meal prep, you find yourself tearing up unexpectedly.

In this example, the vapors from the onions represent the unconditioned stimulus. They automatically and naturally trigger the crying response, which is the unconditioned response.

After multiple associations between a certain song and the unconditioned stimulus, the song itself eventually starts to evoke tears.

So what happens when an unconditioned stimulus is no longer paired with a conditioned stimulus? When the conditioned stimulus is presented alone without the unconditioned stimulus, the conditioned response will eventually diminish or disappear, a phenomenon known asextinction.

In Pavlov’s experiment, for example, ringing the buzzer without presenting food eventually led the dogs to stop salivating in response to the buzzer. Pavlov found, however, that extinction does not lead to the subject returning to their previously unconditioned state.

In some cases, allowing a period of time to elapse before suddenly reintroducing the conditioned stimulus can lead tospontaneous recoveryof the response.

Operant vs. Classical Conditioning

4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Eelen P.Classical conditioning: Classical yet modern.Psychol Belg. 2018;58(1):196–211. doi:10.5334/pb.451Linnman C, Rougemont-Bücking A, Beucke JC, Zeffiro TA, Milad MR.Unconditioned responses and functional fear networks in human classical conditioning.Behav Brain Res. 2011;221(1):237-245. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2011.02.045Kreutzmann JC, Marin MF, Fendt M, Milad MR, Ressler K, Jovanovic T.Unconditioned response to an aversive stimulus as predictor of response to conditioned fear and safety: A cross-species study.Behav Brain Res. 2021;402:113105. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2020.113105Dunsmoor JE, Niv Y, Daw N, Phelps EA.Rethinking extinction.Neuron. 2015;88(1):47–63. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2015.09.028

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Eelen P.Classical conditioning: Classical yet modern.Psychol Belg. 2018;58(1):196–211. doi:10.5334/pb.451Linnman C, Rougemont-Bücking A, Beucke JC, Zeffiro TA, Milad MR.Unconditioned responses and functional fear networks in human classical conditioning.Behav Brain Res. 2011;221(1):237-245. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2011.02.045Kreutzmann JC, Marin MF, Fendt M, Milad MR, Ressler K, Jovanovic T.Unconditioned response to an aversive stimulus as predictor of response to conditioned fear and safety: A cross-species study.Behav Brain Res. 2021;402:113105. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2020.113105Dunsmoor JE, Niv Y, Daw N, Phelps EA.Rethinking extinction.Neuron. 2015;88(1):47–63. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2015.09.028

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Eelen P.Classical conditioning: Classical yet modern.Psychol Belg. 2018;58(1):196–211. doi:10.5334/pb.451Linnman C, Rougemont-Bücking A, Beucke JC, Zeffiro TA, Milad MR.Unconditioned responses and functional fear networks in human classical conditioning.Behav Brain Res. 2011;221(1):237-245. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2011.02.045Kreutzmann JC, Marin MF, Fendt M, Milad MR, Ressler K, Jovanovic T.Unconditioned response to an aversive stimulus as predictor of response to conditioned fear and safety: A cross-species study.Behav Brain Res. 2021;402:113105. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2020.113105Dunsmoor JE, Niv Y, Daw N, Phelps EA.Rethinking extinction.Neuron. 2015;88(1):47–63. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2015.09.028

Eelen P.Classical conditioning: Classical yet modern.Psychol Belg. 2018;58(1):196–211. doi:10.5334/pb.451

Linnman C, Rougemont-Bücking A, Beucke JC, Zeffiro TA, Milad MR.Unconditioned responses and functional fear networks in human classical conditioning.Behav Brain Res. 2011;221(1):237-245. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2011.02.045

Kreutzmann JC, Marin MF, Fendt M, Milad MR, Ressler K, Jovanovic T.Unconditioned response to an aversive stimulus as predictor of response to conditioned fear and safety: A cross-species study.Behav Brain Res. 2021;402:113105. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2020.113105

Dunsmoor JE, Niv Y, Daw N, Phelps EA.Rethinking extinction.Neuron. 2015;88(1):47–63. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2015.09.028

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