John is in his twenties and has a phobia of animals ever since he was bitten by a dog in his teenage years. Seeing pets causes John extreme anxiety and he goes out his way to avoid contact with animals. How might Behaviourism explain John's phobia?

Behaviourism would explain John's phobia of animals through operant and classical conditioning proposed by Skinner (1934). Firstly, John being bitten by a dog in his teenage years would have evoked a pain response acting as a punishment in operant conditioning. This would then discourage further behaviour towards dogs providing the basis for a phobia while avoidance would act as a negative reinforcement by preventing physical harm and physiological distress.Secondly, as John's phobia is towards animals, his phobia seems to have generalised. While other animals are not the same as dogs, they have similar properties such as fur which may have created an association via classical conditioning. After repeated pairing between dogs and other animals, John's phobia of dogs may have transferred to animals that share similar properties.