Question

Francis enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, carla. carla will often eat a large number of grilled onions before spending time with francis. one day, francis walks by a hot dog stand and smells some fresh grilled onions. suddenly, francis has a great desire to see carla. what is the neutral stimulus (ns) in this scenario?
a. spending time with carla
b. a hot dog stand
c. grilled onions
d. spending time with francis

Answer 1

 Francis enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, Carla. Carla will often eat a large number of grilled onions before spending time with Francis. One day, Francis walks by a hot dog stand and smells some fresh grilled onions. Suddenly, Francis has a great desire to see Carla. The neutral stimulus (NS) in this scenario is: grilled onions.

Answer 2

c. grilled onions

Initially a neutral stimulus does not cause a response. However, after it is conditioned it becomes something that can produce a response. At first, grilled onions have no effect on Francis. Since Carla often smells of grilled onions when she sees Francis, Francis begins to associate the smell of grilled onions with Carla. It acts as a neutral stimulus that reminds Francis of Carla and creates the desire for him to see her.