After someone learns a phobia to one object, the phobia sometimes spreads to other similar objects. The spread could be described as

A) backward conditioning.
B) stimulus generalization.
C) desensitization.
D) reaction formation.

Stimulus Generalization

The tendency for the conditioned response to be evoked by stimuli that are similar to the stimulus to which the response was originally conditioned.

Backward Conditioning

A conditioning process where a conditioning stimulus is presented after the unconditioned stimulus, often less effective in creating associations.

Desensitization

The process of reducing sensitivity or responsiveness to a stimulus, typically as a result of repeated exposure to that stimulus.