Final answer:
Observer monkeys learn to fear snakes or flowers by watching other monkeys through observational conditioning. This demonstrates that fear can be conditioned and has played a significant role in primate and human evolution, aiding in threat detection and survival.
Step-by-step explanation:
Through observation, observer monkeys learn to fear snakes or flowers when they watch other monkeys display a fear response to these things. This phenomenon is known as observational conditioning of fear, as studied by Cook and Mineka. The process illustrates how observing others can condition an individual's response in the absence of direct personal experience.
Laboratory monkeys can learn fear through watching other monkeys react, a concept supported by Watson's experiment with Little Albert, where a young child was conditioned to fear furry objects.
This demonstrates that fear can be a conditioned response, and suggests that such learning plays a role in survival, aiding in the detection of potential threats, such as venomous snakes. Biological anthropologists, like Lynne Isbell, suggest that this adaptive behavior has been crucial in human and primate evolution. Hence, these observations contribute to our understanding of both the biology and cultural aspects of fear responses.