Amanda learned to fear snakes after seeing one for the first time at the zoo. However, it took many exposures to the sound of tapping dancing shoes before she learned to fear that sound. The concept that would explain the fact that we learn to fear some objects more easily than others is
A) prepared learning.
B) learned helplessness.
C) observational learning.
D) reciprocal determinism.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Prepared learning refers to the idea that certain associations between stimuli and responses are more easily learned than others because they have been evolutionarily advantageous for survival. For example, humans have a natural tendency to quickly learn to fear snakes and spiders, which could be potentially dangerous, but may require more exposures to learn to fear less evolutionarily threatening stimuli, such as the sound of tapping dancing shoes.

Amanda Learned to Fear Snakes After Seeing One for the First