Which of the following processes would be most helpful for treating a phobia or serious fear response?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Extinction is the gradual decrease in the fear response when the feared stimulus is repeatedly presented in the absence of any aversive consequences. This is a commonly used process in the treatment of phobias and anxiety disorders, as it helps individuals to unlearn their fear response and develop new, more adaptive associations with the stimulus. Instinctive drift is a phenomenon where learned responses gradually revert back to more innate or instinctive behaviors, which is not helpful in treating phobias. Latent inhibition refers to the difficulty in learning to respond to a familiar stimulus that has been previously experienced as irrelevant or unimportant, which is not directly related to treating phobias. Punishment is a process of reducing or eliminating unwanted behaviors by applying an aversive consequence, which is not generally used in treating phobias as it can be ineffective and may even worsen the fear response.

Which of the Following Processes Would Be Most Helpful for Treating