Julie's mother died of lung cancer but Julie is not fearful of cigarettes, and she shocked herself accidentally on a faulty electrical outlet but is not fearful of outlets. However, she has phobias of both snakes and spiders, despite never having been harmed by either. A likely reason for this is that __________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The phobias of snakes and spiders can be seen as a built-in fear that has evolved over time, as both creatures have been potentially dangerous to humans throughout history. The lack of fear towards cigarettes and electrical outlets may be due to a lack of evolutionary pressure or societal conditioning. Option A is not supported by the information given and option C may be a contributing factor but is not the most likely reason for Julie's specific phobias.

Julie's Mother Died of Lung Cancer but Julie Is Not