Suppose you have a phobia of flying. How might classical conditioning be used to help you overcome your phobia?
A) You should avoid flying for a long period of time; this will eventually extinguish your phobia.
B) You should associate flying with something pleasurable in order to reduce your fear.
C) You need to address the unresolved conflicts in your life that are contributing to your phobia.
D) You should eat something that induces nausea shortly before flying; the discomfort from the nausea will overpower your fear of flying.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning can be used to help overcome a phobia by associating the feared stimulus (flying) with something pleasurable, such as a favorite activity or food. This is called counterconditioning and can eventually lead to a reduction of fear when exposed to the previously feared stimulus. Option A is incorrect as avoidance can actually reinforce the fear/phobia. Option C assumes that the phobia is solely based on unresolved conflicts, which may not be the case. Option D involves using aversive conditioning, which is not an effective or ethical method for treating phobias.

Suppose You Have a Phobia of Flying