After pairing CS with UCS, what response does CS elicit?

• A. The CS becomes a conditioned reinforcer.
• B. The UCR becomes extinct.
• C. The CS elicits a conditioned response (CR).
• D. The UCS becomes a conditioned stimulus.

Answer: (C)

In classical conditioning, a neutral cue becomes a conditioned stimulus after it’s paired with an unconditioned stimulus, and it then elicits a conditioned response. Through repeated pairings, the organism learns that the cue predicts the UCS, so the cue alone triggers a learned response. This conditioned response is typically similar in form to the original unconditioned response, but it’s produced by the CS rather than the UCS. So the CS elicits a conditioned response because the association makes the cue a predictor of the UCS. The CS isn’t a reinforcer by itself, and the unconditioned response isn’t what the CS produces; the UCS remains the natural trigger for the UCR. Extinction would occur if the CS were presented without the UCS repeatedly, reducing the CR, not the UCR. The UCS does not become a CS.