por We explain what an unconditioned stimulus is, what its characteristics are, and we give several examples.
What is an unconditioned stimulus?
A unconditioned stimulus It is any stimulus that, before carrying out any type of process, causes a response in a biological organism. It is one of the bases of conditioning, both in its classical and in the operant version. Unconditioned stimuli can be classified in several ways.
These stimuli can be both internal and external, and appetitive or aversive. Each animal species has its own unconditioned stimuli; however, many of these are common, such as food or pain.
The study of unconditioned stimuli and how to use them to carry out conditioning processes is one of the foundations of behavioral psychology. Today it is one of the areas of this discipline on which more data is available.
This study is fundamental to the development of certain branches of psychology and other behavioral sciences. Understanding how they work will allow you to better understand your own behavior and, in addition, it will open the doors to use certain tools such as classical and operant conditioning.
The clearest example of an unconditioned stimulus is food, since it produces the salivation or hunger response in various animals (an unconditioned response).
Characteristics of an unconditioned stimulus
Unconditioned stimuli, unlike conditioned stimuli, are used to produce responses in an organism through conditioning processes.
To achieve the best results, these stimuli must have specific characteristics; not all items can be used for this type of learning.
For this reason, the study of the qualities of unconditioned stimuli is of vital importance for behavioral and cognitive-behavioral psychology, which draws on some of its theoretical bases.
Learning about these elements began with Pavlov’s work on classical conditioning, but our knowledge of them has grown a lot in recent decades. Next we will study some of the most important characteristics of an unconditioned stimulus.
Causes a natural response in the body
Living beings are prepared to respond to our environment and adapt to it. In animals, this ability is especially developed.
Because our survival is linked to our ability to act based on our surroundings, nature endowed us with a series of instincts that provoke a natural response in us.
For example, all animals respond positively to food and negatively to pain. In many species, an invasion of the territory implies aggression, and in most of those that use sexual reproduction, the sight of a possible fertile partner triggers a series of physiological reactions in the body.
All these stimuli would be unconditioned, in the sense that we do not have to do anything for them to provoke a response. This characteristic contrasts with that of conditioned stimuli, which are neutral in principle, but make us react once a classical or operant conditioning process has been followed.
They differ between species
Although some unconditioned stimuli are similar for most species, many of these only elicit a response in certain types of animals.
For this reason, for a psychologist who wants to carry out a conditioning process, it is necessary to know exactly what a type of living being responds to.
For example, for certain types of fish the sight of another member of their species provokes an immediate response of aggression; On the contrary, in other more sociable animals, the behaviors that would arise in a similar case would be closer.
Directly related to survival
Unconditioned stimuli do not elicit a response for no reason. Its main function is to maximize the possibilities that an individual of a species has to survive and reproduce; For this reason, in the vast majority of cases they have to do with the active search for resources and avoiding dangers.
When related to resource seeking, an unconditioned stimulus is known as an «appetitive.» These usually have to do with obtaining food, with sex, with the protection of the young or with the search for a refuge. Its main characteristic is that they encourage us to move towards a certain element.
On the contrary, those unconditioned stimuli that protect us from danger are known as “aversive”. Its basic function is to prevent us from harming ourselves or from engaging in potentially harmful behaviors. The main responses to aversive stimuli are pain and fear, although there are also others such as disgust.
cause unconscious reactions
Our responses to unconditioned stimuli bypass our conscious mind. On the contrary, these are automatic reactions, which we cannot control and which are usually very powerful.
For example, can you choose to salivate over a plate of food, or to be attracted to a person of the sex you like? Do you choose to be scared by watching a horror movie, or disgusted by certain types of insects? These responses would be typical when exposed to unconditioned stimuli.
On the other hand, their effect on our mind would be so powerful that they tend to be associated with other stimuli that are presented together with them. For example, if every time you ate you saw the same photograph, after a certain time just looking at it would make you hungry. This is precisely the basis of classical conditioning.
Examples of unconditioned stimuli
Next we will see some examples of unconditioned stimuli in our species. Keep in mind that, although most of these are shared by other animals, each type of living being presents different ones.
Meal
Food, because of its fundamental importance to our survival, is one of the most powerful types of unconditioned stimuli. The responses they cause in our body are varied, but in general they push us to try to feed ourselves.
For example, the smell of our favorite food makes us salivate and makes us hungry, the taste of something we like very much gives us well-being and pleasure, and the sight of something edible pushes us to eat.
sexual stimuli
Sex is considered one of the most powerful unconditioned stimuli that exist in the human species. Thus, for example, the sight of someone attractive of the sex that we like awakens all kinds of unconscious reactions in our body.
For example, for heterosexual men seeing an attractive woman triggers desire, the desire to talk to her and sexual arousal, but also fear, due to evolutionary reasons.
aversive stimuli
Have you ever wondered why so many people are afraid of the dark, or why loud noises scare us? Why do we start when surprised?
All these situations would be unconditioned stimuli that provoke a protective response (fear) in our body.
Other examples
Pollen from plants and trees causes you to sneeze. Pollen is an unconditioned stimulus.
A cat that goes to its bowl when it smells food. The smell of food is an unconditional stimulus.
A feather that tickles your nose and makes you sneeze. The pen is an unconditioned stimulus.
Cutting onions makes you cry. The onion is an unconditioned stimulus.