explaining phobias

• phobias are acquired by classical conditioning
• a person develops a phobia to a neutral stimulus if they encounter it alongside an unconditioned stimulus (pickles and bad smell)
• an association is formed between the neutral stimulus and the unpleasant unconditioned stimulus
• neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus and as a result a conditioned fear response is formed
• phobias are maintained through operant conditioning
• negative reinforcement


  if fear is lowered by avoiding the phobia stimulus, then avoidance behaviour becomes a negative reinforcer
• if avoidance elevates fear, that behaviour will be repeated
• avoidance behaviour being associated with something negative being taken away