Doug was frightened by a rat coming into his bedroom when he was a child,and he now has a rat phobia.However,despite having been severely shocked by putting her finger in an electric outlet,Martha has no fear of sockets.This inconsistency is explained by the theory of

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Prepared learning theory suggests that humans are biologically prepared to learn certain phobias, such as fear of snakes, spiders, and rats, due to their evolutionary significance as potential threats to survival. Hence, Doug's rat phobia can be explained by prepared learning. On the other hand, Martha's lack of fear towards sockets suggests that electric outlets are not biologically prepared to be significant threats to survival, hence the theory of prepared learning does not apply in her case.

Doug Was Frightened by a Rat Coming into His Bedroom