Question 1

When Marianela was a young child and watching TV with her mother, a mouse ran by. Her mother screamed, scaring her. Subsequently, she has been afraid of mice. In this example, the mouse is the:

Accepted Answer

The mouse is not an unconditioned stimulus since it does not naturally elicit a fear response. It also cannot be a conditioned response or unconditioned response since these refer to behaviors or reactions that are learned rather than stimuli. Thus, the mouse is the conditioned stimulus since it is the previously neutral object (before the fear response was conditioned) that now elicits the fear response in Marianela.

Question 2

One procedure used to treat phobic disorders involves having the therapist confront the feared object or situation while the fearful client observes. This is called:

Accepted Answer

Modeling involves the therapist demonstrating the behavior or confronting the feared object or situation, allowing the client to observe and learn through imitation.

Question 3

While walking through a forest during a rainstorm, 5-year-old Samir was almost struck by lightning. Today, as an adult, he is extremely afraid of trees. What is the conditioned stimulus in the example?

Accepted Answer

The conditioned stimulus is the trees, as they were associated with the near-death experience during the lightning strike and now evoke a fear response in Samir.

Question 4

A phobic person is taken to a snake-handling convention to confront snakes as part of desensitization training. This is an example of the _____ technique.

Accepted Answer

In vivo refers to exposure to real-life, or in-person, situations. Taking a phobic person to a snake-handling convention for desensitization training involves exposure to snakes in a real-life setting, making it an in vivo technique.

Question 5

"Experiences of observation teach us early in life that certain objects are legitimate sources of fear." The person who believes this espouses the _____ explanation of the development of phobias.

Accepted Answer

The answer of "Experiences of observation teach us early in...

Question 6

Apparently, people develop phobias more readily to such objects as spiders and the dark than they do to such objects as computers and radios. This observation supports the idea of:

Accepted Answer

The observation that people develop phobias more readily to certain objects such as spiders and the dark than to others such as computers and radios supports the idea of preparedness. Preparedness is the concept that evolution has prepared humans to be more easily conditioned to fear stimuli that were historically more threatening to our survival, such as spiders and darkness. In contrast, modern technologies like computers and radios are not inherently threatening to our survival and therefore do not elicit fear responses as readily.

Question 7

Little Karen was bitten by a tan pony she was riding at a carnival. The experience left her hurt and frightened. The next month she was visiting her uncle, who had a tan Great Dane (dog). It frightened her even though she had never had a bad experience with a dog. Karen's fear of this dog is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Karen's fear of the Great Dane, even though she had never had a bad experience with a dog before, is an example of stimulus generalization. This means that she is responding to the similar appearance of both the pony and the Great Dane, and is generalizing her fear from one to the other.

Question 8

According to behavioral theory, specific learned fears become a generalized anxiety disorder through the process of:

Accepted Answer

According to behavioral theory, specific fears can become generalized when the individual responds to similar stimuli in the same way they would to the original fear-inducing stimuli. This process is referred to as stimulus generalization.

Question 9

"Among our ancestors, those who feared animals, darkness, and heights were more likely to survive long enough to reproduce." The person who believes this espouses the _____ explanation of the development of phobias.

Accepted Answer

The statement suggests that phobias may have developed as a result of natural selection and survival advantages, which is consistent with an evolutionary explanation.

Question 10

An entomologist's fear of spiders is debilitating. To treat this phobia, a therapist puts the entomologist in a room with spiders, even asking her to handle them. This technique might be used in:

Accepted Answer

The technique of putting the entomologist in a room with spiders and asking her to handle them is an example of flooding. Flooding is a form of behavior therapy where a person is directly and intensely exposed to the source of their fear, in this case, spiders, in order to reduce their anxiety and fear response. It is often used for specific phobias and can be effective, but it can also be a challenging and distressing process for the individual.

Question 11

Which statement accurately reflects what we know from recent studies?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which statement accurately reflects what we know...

Question 12

Pairing the thought of feared objects and relaxation training is:

Accepted Answer

Pairing the thought of feared objects with relaxation training is the basis of systematic desensitization, which is a type of exposure therapy used to treat anxiety disorders. In this therapy, the client gradually confronts the feared object or situation while practicing relaxation techniques to manage anxiety.

Question 13

If the idea of "preparedness" is accurate, then:

Accepted Answer

If the idea of "preparedness" is accurate, then some phobias should be acquired more easily than others. This is because the preparedness theory suggests that humans and animals are predisposed to develop fears of certain stimuli that pose a threat to their survival, such as snakes, spiders, heights, and enclosed spaces. Therefore, it is more likely that individuals will acquire a phobia of these types of stimuli more easily than others that do not pose a direct threat to survival.

Question 14

In modeling, the client:

Accepted Answer

In modeling, the client observes the therapist or another person confronting the feared object, which serves as a demonstration or example for the client to learn from.

Question 15

Sal is suffering from arachnophobia. His therapist first has him go through relaxation training and then has him construct a fear hierarchy. Finally, the therapist has him go through a phase of graded pairings of spiders and relaxation responses. This approach is called:

Accepted Answer

Sal's therapist is using a form of systematic desensitization, which involves relaxation training, fear hierarchy construction, and graded pairings of feared stimuli with relaxation responses. Flooding and implosive therapy are more intense and involve immediate exposure to the feared stimulus without relaxation training or hierarchy construction. Modeling involves observing others handling the feared stimulus without fear.

Question 16

Which behavioral assumption has not been supported by research?

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that phobias can also be acquired through other forms of learning such as operant conditioning and observational learning, not just classical conditioning. Therefore, the assumption that phobias are always acquired through classical conditioning in humans has not been supported by research.

Question 17

The first step in systematic desensitization treatment is:

Accepted Answer

Relaxation training is the first step in systematic desensitization treatment, where the patient learns to relax muscles deeply, which is crucial before proceeding to face the feared object or situation.

Question 18

If a person were afraid of dogs and his therapist treated him by interacting with dogs while he watched, he would be receiving:

Accepted Answer

Modeling involves learning through observation, where the therapist demonstrates the behavior (interacting with dogs) for the person to watch and learn from.

Question 19

When he was 5 years old, Samir was almost struck by lightning while walking through a forest during a rainstorm. Today, he is extremely afraid of trees. A behaviorist would say that he has acquired this fear by:

Accepted Answer

The fear that Samir has developed of trees is most likely due to classical conditioning, where the unconditioned stimulus (lightning) has become associated with the conditioned stimulus (trees) and elicited a fear response (conditioned response).

Question 20

A phobic person is taught to imagine the feared items as part of desensitization training. This is an example of the _____ technique.

Accepted Answer

The technique described is known as "covert" because it involves mental imagery or visualization of the feared items or situations rather than direct, real-world exposure. This is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy aimed at reducing anxiety responses through gradual exposure in the imagination.

Quiz 5: Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive, and Related Disorders