acquisition- getting the phobia (classicalconditioning)
maintenance- maintaining the phobia (operantconditioning)
acquiring phobias through classical conditioning
phobias are learned by associating something we have nofear of (neutral stimulus) with something that alreadytriggers a fearresponse (unconditioned stimulus).
maintenance of phobias through operant conditioning
behaviour is maintained through negative reinforcement. avoiding the phobia stimulus reduces levels of anxiety, this increases the likelihood of avoidancebehaviours.
how can some common phobias be acquired
common phobias can be acquired by thinking they lookscary, e.g., spiders. although this isnt initially considered a phobia, if they are avoided then they can become one.
biological preparedness
an increased likelihood of developing phobias due to a specific variation in our DNA which predisposed us to this fear.
