1.3.2 application of behaviourist approach to aversion therapy

Question 1

How do behavioural therapies work

Answer 1

Based on the notion that most forms of mental illness occur through maladaptive or faulty learning, therefor, a person can re-learn how to behave in a more functional, healthy way (behaviour modification)

Question 2

How does classical and operant conditioning relate to aversion therapy

Answer 2

• Undesirable behaviour is learned through conditioning
• Alchoholic learns to associate alchohol with pleasure (classical conditioning)
• This is positively reinforced every time they have a drink (operant conditioning)

Question 3

Give an example of aversion therapy aims

Answer 3

• Aim for a patient to associate alchohol (undesirable behaviour) with an unpleasant or aversive stimulus (feeling sick)
• This should lead to the suppression of the undesirable behaviour
• Uses counterconditioning

Question 4

How does modern aversion therapy use operant conitioning instead?

Answer 4

• Use drugs which reward patients for abstinence with feelings of calmness (positive reinforcment)
• If behaviour is rewarded it will be repeated so using operant conditioning an alchohlic will abstain from drinking alchohol

Question 5

Give the equation for how aversion therapy works

Answer 5

• Undesriable stimulus response bond: Alchohol (controlled stimuli) = Pleasure (controlled response)
• Unconditioned stimulus-response bond: Drug causing nausia (Uncontrolled stimuli) = Nausia (uncontrolled response)
• Counterconditioned stimulus-response bond: Alchohol (controlled stimuli) = Nausea (controlled response)