4.1.10/11 - Phobias

Question 1

Aquisition of phobias through CC, OC, SLT

Answer 1

• CC - Aq = learning through association Ma =reinforcement of the association as the actually cc doesn’t last long eg thinking about the phobia
• OC - Aq = learning through consequence of behaviour Ma = avoidance of phobic stimulus is neg reinforcement ie avoidance of phobia
• SLT - Aq = phobias can be imitations of behaviour we observe eg parents fears Ma = vicarious reinforcement

Question 2

Systematic desensitisation (AO1)

Answer 2

therapy that aims to extinguish an undesirable behaviour (fear) by replacing it with a more desirable one, relaxation (reciprocal inhibition - cant experience them at the same time)

STEP 1: Hierarchy of fear
- initial analysis of the nature of the anxiety and possible triggers, individual forms a hierarchy
- least feared→most feared (build up from intro with photo to film to physical form)

STEP 2: learning relaxation techniques
- breathing exercises: sit/stand, elbows back → deep inhale → hold → deep exhale or visualisation of peaceful place, learning what works best for individual

STEP 3: gradual exposure:
- virtual therapy - can help treat phobias that are impossible to do in real life + safe environment for phobias like PTSD
- while exposed, use the learnt relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety

Question 3

SD - AO3

strengths

Answer 3

• participants are volunteers and the procedure is gradual exposure which is not a stressful and individuals are fully in control of their therapy. Therefore systematic desensitisation is ethical and the participants are less at risk to psychological harm compared to flooding as they can determine a pace comfortable to them when facing their fear
• it is supported by Capafons 1999. Results showed that the treatment group showed, ‘significant changes took place’, with a significant reduction in fear measures like heart rate and skin temperature. Therefore this supports systematic desensitisation as it shows its an effective technique to reduce fear from phobias

Question 4

SD - weaknesses

Answer 4

• One weakness is that the generalisability of Capafons experiment. participants were 41 people recruited by media campaigns and they were split into two groups balanced by age, gender, strength of fear and physical measures. Therefore the results cannot be generalised to other fears or people from different places or ages or ethnicities
• Another weakness is that systematic desensitisation may not be appropriate for all phobias. For example phobias have an underlying survival component like fear of dangerous animals, it may be difficult to remove the fair as it is rooted in our evolutionarily past. Therefore suggesting rational fears maybe less successful in reducing fear through systematic desensitisation

Question 5

Flooding - AO1

Answer 5

replace fear response with a diff response (non-fear)

• full exposure to phobic stimulus
• phobic response will be exhausted as client doesn’t get harmed from phobia = fear responce eliminated
• it works through reciprocal inhibition suggesting that two incompatible states cannot occur simultaneously
• ‘alarm’ stage = biological reaction of fight/flight: increased blood sugar, adrenaline, other activity like digestion cease. once this energy is used up, parasympathetic part of nervous system calms body
• Wolpe (researcher of this technique) - the therapy works via the process of reciprocal inhibition as someone can only be at the ‘alarm’ stage (adrenaline/fight vs flight) for so long:
  1. after being exposed = fear (alarm reaction)
  2. that will eventually subside
  3. person then learns to associate the calmer response to the phobia

Question 6

flooding - strengths

Answer 6

• faster treatment than other therapy so although it can be stressful it is quick as the alarm reaction cannot be sustained for long → for some with strong phobias F may be more successful if they struggle to maintain relaxation so SD wouldn’t work
• supported by Wolpe (1973), showed that he worked with a girl who had a phobia of cars , driving her around continually. At first she was hysterical but eventually calmed down → this supports F as it shows its an effective technique to reduce fear from phobias

Question 7

flooding - weaknesses

Answer 7

• unethical - psych harm as its quite intense and stressful
• It runs the risk of increasing the strength of the conditioned response to the feared object/situation rather than extinguishing it which could also cause a new fearful associating → reinforcing anxiety/fear behaviour making the fear worse
• Classical conditioning involves extinction and a phobia can be extinguished using flooding because the association would no longer be made between the phobic object or situation and the fear response. However there can be spontaneous recovery. this ca happen with SD but is less likely as the process would be over time and with a stronger disconnection from the phobia stimulus → relaxation is stronger than just ‘non-fear’ so the F treatment may be short lived