A fear reaction is the body's automatic response to a perceived threat or danger, characterized by physiological changes such as increased heart rate, sweating, and heightened alertness.
Related terms
Fight-or-flight response: The fight-or-flight response is an immediate physiological reaction triggered by a perceived threat, preparing the body to either confront the threat or flee from it.
Conditioning refers to the process of learning associations between stimuli and responses. In relation to fear reactions, conditioning can occur when a neutral stimulus (e.g., spider) becomes associated with fear due to prior negative experiences.