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.
205 exam-style questions on Edexcel A Level Psychology Content, covering Main features of classical conditioning, Pavlov (1927) salivation in dogs, Main features of operant conditioning, Properties of reinforcement, Behaviour modification and shaping, Main features of social learning theory, Social learning stages, Bandura (1961, 1963) Bobo doll experiments, Bandura (1965) vicarious reinforcement, Learning theories and phobias, Treatments for phobias, Individual differences, and Developmental psychology. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.