Fred Is Afraid of Spiders

question 207

Multiple Choice

Fred is afraid of spiders. He won't even watch a nature show on TV about them. When he sees a picture of a spider, he has a panic attack, but when he avoids looking at the image, his panic goes away. Fred's avoidance of spiders is being __________

• A) extinguished, because he feels anxious after doing so.
• B) recovered spontaneously, because he will never get better.
• C) positively reinforced, because he is rewarded by his anxiety going down.
• D) negatively reinforced, because he is rewarded by his anxiety going down.

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Definitions:

Consciousness

Consciousness is the state of being aware of and able to think about one's environment, thoughts, and experiences.

Freud

Refers to Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, known for his theories on the unconscious mind and the mechanism of repression.

Mindfulness-Based Interventions

Therapeutic approaches that focus on promoting mental awareness and presence in the moment to improve psychological well-being.

Reduction of Avoidance

A therapeutic goal to decrease the tendency of individuals to avoid facing their fears, usually by gradually exposing them to the feared object or situation.