Theories Behavioral Psychology Biological Preparedness and Classical Conditioning By Kendra Cherry facebook twitter Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Learn about our editorial process Kendra Cherry Fact checked by Fact checked by Shereen Lehman, MS on May 10, 2020 Shereen Lehman, MS, is a healthcare journalist and fact checker. She has co-authored two books for the popular Dummies Series (as Shereen Jegtvig). Learn about our editorial process Shereen Lehman, MS Updated on May 10, 2020 Print Heinrich van den Berg / Oxford Scientific / Getty Images Biological preparedness is the idea that people and animals are inherently inclined to form associations between certain stimuli and responses. This concept plays an important role in learning, particularly in understanding the classical conditioning process. Some associations form easily because we are predisposed to form such connections, while other associations are much more difficult to form because we are not naturally predisposed to form them. For example, it has been suggested that biological preparedness explains why certain types of phobias tend to form more easily. We tend to develop a fear of things that may pose a threat to our survival, such as heights, spiders, and snakes. Those who learned to fear such dangers more readily were more likely to survive and reproduce. Biological Preparedness Working With Classical Conditioning One great example of biological preparedness at work in the classical conditioning process is the development of taste aversions. Have you ever eaten something and then gotten sick afterward? Chances are probably good that you avoided eating that particular food again in the future, even if it was not the food that caused your illness. Why do we form associations between the taste of food and illness so easily? We could just as easily form such associations between people who were present when we became ill, the location of the illness, or specific objects that were present. Biological preparedness is the key. People (and animals) are innately predisposed to form associations between tastes and illness. Why? It is most likely due to the evolution of survival mechanisms. Species that readily form such associations between food and illness are more likely to avoid those foods again in the future, thus ensuring their chances for survival and the likelihood that they will reproduce. Many phobia objects involve things that potentially pose a threat to safety and well-being. Snakes, spiders, and dangerous heights are all things that can potentially be deadly. Biological preparedness makes it so that people tend to form fear associations with these threatening options. Because of that fear, people tend to avoid those possible dangers, making it more likely that they will survive. Since these people are more likely to survive, they are also more likely to have children and pass down the genes that contribute to such fear responses. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Ever wonder what your personality type means? Sign up to find out more in our Healthy Mind newsletter. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Seligman ME. Phobias and Preparedness - Republished Article. Behav Ther. 2016;47(5):577‐584. doi:10.1016/j.beth.2016.08.006 Chambers KC. Conditioned taste aversions. World J Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2018;4(1):92‐100. doi:10.1016/j.wjorl.2018.02.003