Studies with monkeys also support the concept of prepared learning. In one experiment, monkeys that observed videos of other monkeys reacting fearfully to toy snakes or crocodiles developed a fear of these fear-relevant stimuli. However, they did not develop a fear of fear-irrelevant stimuli, such as flowers or a toy rabbit, after observing the same fearful reactions.

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The preparedness model is an evolutionary theory suggesting that the human brain is predisposed to more readily associate certain stimuli with fear. This theory explains why phobias of ancestral dangers, such as snakes, spiders, and heights, are more common than phobias related to modern dangers like motorcycles or weapons, despite the latter posing a greater objective threat. It argues that over the course of evolutionary history, the mind adapted to quickly and easily develop fears of these historically threatening stimuli.

The Preparedness Model of Phobia Acquisition

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

Research provides evidence for the preparedness model by showing that conditioned fears are acquired more easily in response to stimuli that were historically dangerous. For instance, people develop conditioned fears more readily to images of snakes and spiders (fear-relevant stimuli) than to images of flowers and berries (fear-irrelevant stimuli).

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