2B: Application of Classical Conditioning

Question 1

Conditioning in daily life

Answer 1

Conditioned fears.
Other conditioned emotional responses.
Conditioning and physiological responses.
Conditioning and drug effects.

Question 2

Conditioned taste aversion

Answer 2

A learned aversion to a taste associated with an unpleasant feeling, usually nausea.
Occurs after only 1 pairing (powerful reaction).
Evolutionary advantage.
Often generalises eg. bad prawn, all seafood.

Question 3

What is anxiety?

Answer 3

Anxiety: apprehension about an anticipated issue
Fear/panic: apprehensive response to immediate threat or danger, “instinct”
Three components: cognitive/subjective, physiological, behavioural.

Question 4

Anxiety disorders

Answer 4

Most common psychiatric diagnosis.
Phobias: specific, social, agoraphobia
Panic disorder
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Question 5

Dual process theory (Mowrer)

Answer 5

Both classical and operant conditioning principles (escape and avoidance) play a role in the onset and maintenance of anxiety disorders

Question 6

Phobias

Answer 6

Feared stimulus, disproportionate.
Avoidance
Interferes with normal functioning

Question 7

Factors influencing acquisition of phobias

Answer 7

Many people with phobias have no direct experience - thus classical conditioning cannot be the whole story.
Also, most people in extremely frightening situations don't develop a phobia.
Observational learning
Temperament
Preparedness
History of control
Incubation
Selective sensitisation

Question 8

Observational learning

Answer 8

Observing fear reaction in others.

Question 9

Temperament

Answer 9

Base level of emotionality or reactivity to stimulation.
Genetically determined.
Generally, anxiety disorders show concordance in families.
Influences how easily an individual could develop a phobia.

Question 10

Prepeardness

Answer 10

Predisposition in a species to learn specific associations more than others, fear specific objects or events.
Influences how easily a particular phobia could be acquired.

Question 11

History of control

Answer 11

History of being able to control important events in environment.
Having a degree of control reduces impact of traumatic events.

Question 12

Incubation

Answer 12

Classically conditioned fears do not extinguish in way expected (through repeated exposure to CS without US) due to avoidance - loss of opportunity.
If develop a fear through classical conditioning and thn engage in escape/avoidance each time, the fear may grow worse.

Question 13

Selective sensitisation

Answer 13

Increase in reactivity to a potentially fearful stimulus following exposure to an unrelated stressful event.
Through periods of stress or anxiety, minor fears and anxieties may become enhanced.

Question 14

Systematic desensitisation

Answer 14

Involves slowly presenting increasingly strong fear-provoking stimuli, while keeping the patient in a very relaxed state.
The use of anxiety hierarchy plus relaxation training is very effective.

Question 15

Flooding (response blocking)

Answer 15

Involves the prolonged presentation of a highly feared object/situation, which is not removed until the patient’s fear diminishes