4.1.10 - how learning theories explain the acquisition and maintenance of phobias

Question 1

what is a phobia?

Answer 1

a persistent and unreasonable fear of an object, activity or situation (Comer, 2008)

Question 2

what criteria are required for a phobia to be diagnosed?

Answer 2

it must cause intense fear and distress
it must persist over time and in different contexts
the fear must exceed the threat posed by the object, activity or situation

Question 3

what are the different types of phobia?

Answer 3

1. specific phobia (fear of specific objects, animals and places)
2. social phobia (fear of interacting and performing in front of people)
3. agoraphobia (fear of open spaces)

Question 4

how do the principles of behaviourism link to phobias?

Answer 4

they suggest all behaviour is learned, and learning is a product of experience with the environment

Question 5

which learning theory could explain how phobias are acquired?

Answer 5

classical conditioning

Question 6

how could phobias be acquired through classical conditioning?

Answer 6

the phobic object is always the neutral stimulus
it is paired with an unconditioned stimulus which always causes fear (unconditioned response)

Question 7

what is an example of a phobia being acquired through classical conditioning?

Answer 7

phobia of dogs:
biting (UCS) -> fear (UCR)
biting (UCS) + dog (NS) -> fear (UCR)
dog (CS) -> fear (CR)

Question 8

which learning theory could explain how phobias are maintained?

Answer 8

operant conditioning

Question 9

how could phobias be maintained through operant conditioning?

Answer 9

through negative reinforcement, because we avoid the stimulus which reduces our fear/anxiety
however, the avoidance means we never learn the stimulus is not a threat

Question 10

what is an example of a phobia being maintained through operant conditioning?

Answer 10

phobia of dogs:
seeing a dog leads to fear
when you walk to school you see a dog jumping at a gate as you walk past
the next time you walk to school you walk on the other side of the road which reduces your anxiety (negative reinforcement)
this means you are never exposed to your phobia so you don’t learn that it isn’t dangerous

Question 11

what alternative learning theory could explain the acquisition of phobias?

Answer 11

social learning theory

Question 12

how could social learning theory explain the acquisition of phobias?

Answer 12

you pay attention to a model who has a phobia
you retain their fearful behaviour around or avoidance of the phobic object
you imitate their fearful behaviour around or avoidance of the phobic object
you may be motivated to do this by mediating factors like vicarious reinforcement - the model experiences a reduction in their anxiety when they avoid the phobic object