AP PSYCHOLOGY

ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR

ANXIETY DISORDERS

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Many people report having a phobia for snakes even though they have never been exposed to a snake. This fear is an example of ____
A
helplessness to an unfamiliar stimuli
B
misinterpretation of stimuli
C
classical conditioning
D
preparedness
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Ophidiophobia is an extreme, overwhelming fear of snakes. The condition is called a specific phobia (fear), which is a type of anxiety disorder. Ophidiophobia may be associated with herpetophobia, which is fear of all reptiles. Many people are somewhat fearful of snakes.

Detailed explanation-2: -Fear of snakes is one of the most common phobias, yet many people have never seen a snake in person. So how is this fear generated? New research suggests humans have evolved an innate tendency to sense snakes-and spiders, too-and to learn to fear them.

Detailed explanation-3: -Ophidiophobia (or ophiophobia) is a particular type of specific phobia, the irrational fear of snakes. It is sometimes called by a more general term, herpetophobia, fear of reptiles. The word comes from the Greek words “ophis” (), snake, and “phobia” () meaning fear.

Detailed explanation-4: -"We conclude that fear of snakes and spiders is of evolutionary origin. Similar to primates, mechanisms in our brains enable us to identify objects as ‘spider’ or ‘snake’ and to react to them very fast. This obviously inherited stress reaction in turn predisposes us to learn these animals as dangerous or disgusting.

Detailed explanation-5: -About agoraphobia Agoraphobia is a type of anxiety disorder. A person with agoraphobia is afraid to leave environments they know or consider to be safe. In severe cases, a person with agoraphobia considers their home to be the only safe environment. They may avoid leaving their home for days, months or even years.

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