A child may develop a phobia of snakes if their family, friends, and peers consistently describe snakes as being disgusting and dangerous. This fear is acquired through verbal information, even if the child has never had a negative personal encounter with a snake.

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This pathway of fear acquisition involves learning to fear a stimulus through information or warnings from others. An individual can develop a phobia without any direct negative experience or observation, simply by being told that an object or situation is dangerous or disgusting.

Verbal Transmission of Fear

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Example of Verbal Transmission of Fear: Fear of Snakes

A young adult has never flown on an airplane. However, their close friends and family frequently share stories about turbulent flights, mechanical failures they've read about, and the general dangers of air travel. Consequently, the young adult develops a significant fear of flying. Based on this scenario, identify the specific pathway through which this fear was most likely acquired and explain your reasoning.

Acquiring a Fear of Flying

Based on the provided scenario, explain the most likely psychological process through which the child developed a fear of dogs, despite having no direct negative encounters with them.

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