Glossary
Unconditioned Response
What is an unconditioned response?
In classical conditioning, an unconditioned response (UCR) is a response elicited by an unconditioned stimulus without requiring the conditioning being studied.
Example
In Pavlov's work, salivation in response to food is an unconditioned response. Salivation to a previously paired signal is a conditioned response.
Unconditioned response versus unconditioned stimulus
The stimulus is what elicits the response; the response is what the organism does. In the food example, food is the unconditioned stimulus and salivation is the unconditioned response.
Why the distinction matters
The response can look similar while the stimulus eliciting it differs. Identify what produced the response and what was learned in the procedure.