When Anna was 3 years old, her aunt's pet parakeet landed on her head and pecked at her scalp, hurting her. Following this incid
ent, Anna was afraid of the parakeet. But over time, Anna has become afraid of anything that flies, including butterflies, large flying insects, and wild birds. This example illustrates the phenomenon of _____ in _____ conditioning.
When a biologically potent stimulus is combined with a stimulus which was previously neutral it results in a learning process called classical conditioning. This affects in the person having the same reaction when experiencing something similar to the conditioned stimulus.
Here, Anna was attacked by a parakeet when she was three years old. So, now she fears everything that flies. Here the conditioned stimulus is anything that flies. This stimulus has been generalized in her mind. She now thinks that anything that flies will hurt her.
