Serena has a severe phobia of elevators (lifts). When she was seven years old, she was trapped in a dark elevator for several hours during a power outage, which caused her to experience extreme panic, difficulty breathing, and crying. Since that event, Serena has refused to use elevators and experiences high levels of anxiety even when just looking at elevator doors.
To avoid experiencing distress, Serena always takes the stairs, even when visiting offices on the 15th floor, and she plans her journeys specifically to avoid buildings that only have elevator access. If she accidentally finds herself near an elevator door and begins to panic, her coworkers quickly guide her away to a quiet breakroom and comfort her with hot tea and reassurance until she calms down.
Discuss how learning theories can explain the acquisition and maintenance of Serena's phobia of elevators.
Practise Edexcel A Level Psychology Content with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 1,059 questions covering Biological explanations of crime, Social explanations of crime, Cognitive and ethical interview techniques, Psychological formulation of offending, Cognitive-behavioural treatment for offenders, Biological treatment for offenders, Factors influencing eye-witness testimony, Factors influencing jury decision-making, Individual differences, and Developmental psychology, matched to the Edexcel A Level Psychology (9PS0) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
