OC and CC

Question 1

Classical conditioning

Answer 1

Before conditioning, clowns were a neutral stimulus for the person.

During conditioning the fear conditioning could occur after repeated pairings of the clown with the traumatic event involving the clown e.g. an hysterical laugh, that caused the person to experience fear due to the traumatic event involving the clown. Note the clown would come just before the traumatic event with this clown

After conditioning clowns (CS) now automatically elicit or generate the conditioned response (CR) of fear due to clown

Question 2

Operant conditioning conditioning

Answer 2

A person’s specific phobia can be maintained/perpetuated through operant conditioning.

if there is an event with a clown and a person avoids the feared stimulus of the clown was negatively reinforced because it removed fear. This negative reinforcement would perpetuate their fear of clowns and increase the likelihood of the avoidance behaviour in the future.