Question

Seven-year-old Harper always liked going to see Dr. Hernandez at the pediatric clinic because she would give her a lollipop. Then one day, Dr. Hernandez came to Harper’s school to administer flu shots. Injections never bothered Harper, and she was happy to see Dr. Hernandez at her school and get a lollipop. But many of her classmates were frightened before getting the shot and cried afterwards. Now, Harper feels afraid whenever she has to see Dr. Hernandez for a checkup or when she is sick. Which of the following mechanisms likely led to Harper developing this phobia?

Answer 1

Harper developed a phobia of seeing Dr. Hernandez due to classical conditioning. She associated the fear and discomfort of getting a shot with seeing Dr. Hernandez, leading to her feeling afraid during checkups or when she is sick.

Step-by-step explanation:

The mechanism that likely led to Harper developing a phobia of seeing Dr. Hernandez is classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which a neutral stimulus (seeing Dr. Hernandez) becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus (getting a shot) that elicits a response (fear and discomfort). Over time, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that can elicit the same fear response (phobia).

In Harper's case, she initially had a positive association with seeing Dr. Hernandez because she received a lollipop. However, after witnessing her classmates' fear and distress during flu shots, the neutral stimulus (seeing Dr. Hernandez) became associated with the unconditioned stimulus (fear and discomfort) related to getting a shot. This association led to the development of a phobia, causing Harper to feel afraid whenever she has to see Dr. Hernandez for a checkup or when she is sick.