OCR General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) Biology Practice Exam

What is an example of an unconditional response in Pavlov's experiment?

1. Barking at the bell

2. Running to the food

3. Salivating to the food

4. Ignoring the bell

The correct answer is: Salivating to the food

In Pavlov's experiment, an unconditional response refers to a natural, automatic reaction that occurs without any prior learning or conditioning. Salivating to food is a classic example of this type of response. This reaction is instinctual; when a dog is presented with food, it will naturally salivate as a physiological response to the anticipated intake of food. In contrast, reactions such as barking at a bell or running to food involve learned behaviors or specific associations that are not instinctive responses reflexively triggered by a certain stimulus alone, whereas ignoring the bell does not involve a response at all. Therefore, salivating in response to food exemplifies how an unconditional response operates, highlighting the innate connection between the stimulus (food) and the response (salivation) without the need for prior conditioning.