According to a behaviorist, a phobia can develop through which process?

• A. Genetic inheritance alone
• B. Observational learning alone
• C. Cognitive misinterpretation of bodily signals
• D. Classical conditioning or stimulus generalisation

Answer: (C)

Phobias can be learned through conditioning. In a classic conditioning scenario, a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a frightening event, so the neutral cue elicits fear on its own. This is the process of classical conditioning. Once fear is learned, it can spread to similar stimuli through stimulus generalisation, meaning similar objects or situations also provoke the anxious response.

Genetic inheritance isn’t about learning the fear itself, so it doesn’t explain how a phobia develops from a behaviorist standpoint. Cognitive misinterpretation of bodily signals belongs to cognitive theories, not behaviorist ones. Observational learning can play a role in acquiring fears in broader learning theories, but the core development in strict behaviorist terms is the conditioning process and its generalisation.