Marcus has a phobia of balloons. When he was a toddler, his older sibling popped a large balloon right next to his ear, making a sudden loud noise that startled him and made him cry intensely. Since then, Marcus has been terrified of balloons and panics whenever he sees one.
To prevent him from becoming distressed, Marcus's friends ensure there are no balloons at any parties he attends, and they quickly pop or hide any balloons if one appears. If Marcus does encounter a balloon and starts panicking, his friends immediately lead him away from the area and comfort him with his favorite snacks until he feels safe.
Discuss how learning theories can explain the acquisition and maintenance of Marcus's phobia of balloons.
Practise Edexcel A Level Psychology Content with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 1,059 questions covering Issues around drug taking, Biological explanations of drug addiction, Learning explanations of drug addiction, Treatments for drug addiction, Anti-drug campaign and strategies, 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.
