What does social learning theory say about phobias?
Social learning theory says that phobic behaviours can be learnt through the processing of modelling and imitation. In other words, observing someone being scared of a neutral stimulus can cause the person observing to learn to fear the same stimulus.
What research backs up the social learning theory explanation of phobias?
Mineka et al. They demonstrated that rheus' monkeys would exhibit a fear response to a snake after observing another monkey show a conditioned fear response. Researchers ensured the 'observer' had no pre-existing fear response.
