National Counselor Exam (NCE)

To elicit a conditioned response, the neutral stimulus must precede which type of stimulus?

1. Moderate stimulus

2. Stimulus of equal intensity

3. Unconditioned stimulus

4. Competing stimulus

The correct answer is: Unconditioned stimulus

The correct answer is the unconditioned stimulus because in classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus must precede an unconditioned stimulus in order to elicit a conditioned response. The process starts with the unconditioned stimulus, which naturally and automatically triggers a response. When the neutral stimulus is consistently paired with the unconditioned stimulus before the response is measured, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that can elicit the conditioned response even when the unconditioned stimulus is absent. In the context of classical conditioning, this relationship is foundational. For example, if a bell (neutral stimulus) is rung just before food (unconditioned stimulus) is presented to a dog, the dog will start salivating (conditioned response) in response to the bell alone after sufficient pairings. The other options do not accurately reflect the required sequencing for establishing a conditioned response in classical conditioning. A moderate stimulus or a stimulus of equal intensity would not have the same established role in creating that associative learning. Similarly, a competing stimulus does not articulate the primary pairing needed to form the conditioned response with the neutral stimulus. Thus, the unconditioned stimulus is the essential component that defines the relationship and is critical for eliciting the conditioned response.