If you make a marked increase in the amount of light falling upon the

If you make a marked increase in the amount of light falling upon the normal eye, you observe an immediate adjustment of the iris to reduce the size of the pupil. This is called an unconditioned response, and the increased light is called an unconditioned stimulus. Now, if you make numerous trials taking care to sound a buzzer whenever the light is increased, the iris can be “taught,” that is to say, conditioned, to reduce the pupil at the sound of the buzzer alone. This learned response is called a conditioned response and the sound of the buzzer, a conditioned stimulus.

Now symbols are our most important conditioned stimuli, and successful communication depends upon complementary conditioning, or complementary experience. Just as we find ourselves shouting at listeners who do not speak our language, so by a similar irrational impulse we assume that those with whom we attempt to communicate are equipped with complementary sets of conditioned responses to our own common stock of symbols. It is easy to see the stupidity of expecting one who does not speak English to converse with you in English. It is not so easy to realize that one who does speak English may not have been conditioned to operate with the same set of senses for the familiar terms common to your vocabulary and his.

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

A. define an aspect of a topic.
B. reconcile differing theories.
C. propose a topic for investigation.
D. solve a puzzle.
E. analyze a phenomenon.


2. Which of the following may be best described as an unconditioned stimulus?

A. an unanswered telephone ringing in an empty office
B. a whistle that blows at five o’clock every weekday
C. a shoelace that breaks in two
D. a match that burns the finger of a careless pipe smoker
E. an alarm clock that rings at midnight


3. Applying information from the passage, we may conclude that a child who begins feeling hungry as the school lunch bell rings each day may be exhibiting

A. an awareness of time.
B. a complementary structure.
C. a conditioned response.
D. an unconditioned stimulus.
E. a conditioned appetite.


4. The passage suggests that those who speak English attempting to communicate with those who do not speak English are

A. bound to fail completely.
B. still dependent upon complementary responses to common symbols.
C. likely to be more successful if they raise their voice.
D. likely to be able to communicate where there are familiar words common to both speakers’ vocabularies.
E. subject to the limitations of thirdparty translations.