Question

Joe comes to the counseling center with complaints of "overwhelming anxiety" in social situations. After an initial interview, the psychologist asks Joe to complete a homework assignment: identify the nature of the situations in which he is anxious. He is asked to recall what happens just before he becomes anxious and what happens immediately after he becomes anxious. What would the psychologist be trying to find out about Joe’s anxiety attacks?

A)The internal, enduring states maintaining the emotional reaction
B)The negative reinforcers present before the anxiety is experienced
C)The classically conditioned extinction response that precedes the behavior
D)The antecedents and consequences of the behavior that are maintaining it

Answer 1

The answer is D) The antecedents and consequences of the behavior that are maintaining it.

Explanation:

What the psychologist would be trying to find out about Joe’s anxiety attacks in social situations are his reactions when he arrives at social settings, his uncontrollably anxious behaviour after he sits or stays in social settings, and the aftermath or consequences of maintaining anxiety.