If conditioning theories about panic disorder are correct, which of the following would most likely explain the development of panic attacks in individuals with this disorder?

• A. Panic attacks are solely the result of genetic predisposition and have no connection to environmental triggers.
• B. Panic attacks are caused by a lack of reinforcement for adaptive behaviors, as explained by operant conditioning.
• C. Panic attacks occur only when individuals consciously anticipate danger, regardless of past experiences.
• D. Panic attacks are learned responses to previously neutral cues that have become associated with anxiety through classical conditioning.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the basic premise of classical conditioning: it involves learning through association, where a neutral stimulus becomes linked to an unconditioned stimulus that naturally elicits a response.
2. Identify the unconditioned stimulus (US) and unconditioned response (UR) in the context of panic disorder. For example, a panic attack might initially be triggered by a specific internal or external event that naturally causes anxiety or fear.
3. Recognize that through classical conditioning, a previously neutral stimulus (conditioned stimulus, CS) becomes associated with the panic-inducing event (US), leading to the conditioned response (CR) of a panic attack when the neutral stimulus is encountered again.
4. Apply this understanding to explain how individuals with panic disorder might develop panic attacks in response to cues that were originally neutral but have become linked to anxiety through repeated pairings.
5. Contrast this explanation with other theories such as genetic predisposition or operant conditioning, noting that classical conditioning specifically emphasizes learned associations between stimuli and responses.