Applications of Classical Conditioning Flashcards
Name some instances of CC in real life.
- Taste Aversion: Feeling nausea when we see a food that had previously made us sick.
- We associate burgers with salivation. We are constanty seeing the ‘golden M.’ Our appetite increases when we see the ‘golden M’ even if there is no burger.
- Conditioned immune response. Chemotherapy causes nausea, after eating the patient is nauseous –> the patient begins to think nausea is caused by the food.
What is anxiety?
Apprehension about an anticipated issue
What is fear or panic?
Apprehensive response to immediate threat or danger
What are the three components of fear? (CPB)
- Cognitive/subjective
- Physiological
- Behavioural
What are the types of anxiety disorders?
- Phobias
- Specific Phobias
- Social Phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder)
- Agoraphobia
- Panic Disorder
- Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Characteristic of anxiety disorders (3)
- Physiology and emotional experience
- Etiology
- Treatment methods
Features that distinguish anxiety disorders (3).
- Nature and frequency of symptoms
- Emphasis on factors in theoretical models
- Treatment targets
What is dual-processing theory & who was it proposed by?
• Both classical conditioning (fear) and operant conditioning principles (escape and avoidance) play a role in the onset and maintenance of anxiety disorders
Mawer.
What are some behaviours & habits associated with phobias?
- Feared stimulus, disproportionate
- Avoidance
- Interferes with normal functioning
Name three types of phobias.
- Specific phobia
- Social phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder)
- Agoraphobia
Phobias result for a process of ______.
overgeneralisation
Can we determine CC to be the only cause of phobias? Why?
Many people with phobias have no direct experience – thus classical conditioning cannot be the whole story
• Many people in extremely frightening situations do not develop phobias
What are the 6 factors influencing acquisition?
- Observational learning
- Temperament
- Preparedness
- History of control
- Incubation
- Selective sensitisation
How does observational learning influence acquisition of fear?
• Observing fear reaction in others
I see in my mum:
Spider (NS) : observe fear (US) –> feel fear (UR)
Therefore, when I see a spider:
spider (CS) —> feel fear (CR)
Describe the influence of temperament on fear conditioning:
• Base level of emotionality or reactivity to stimulation
• Genetically determined
• For example:
• Pavlov’s dogs that were shy and withdrawn more easily
conditioned than outgoing
• Little Albert selected due to emotional stability
• Generally, anxiety disorders show concordance in families
• Influences how easily an individual could develop a phobia
Describe the influence of prepardness on fear conditioning:
- Predisposition in a species to learn specific associations more than others
- Inherited predisposition to fear specific objects or events
- Cook & Mineka (1989)
- Rhesus monkeys observed another reacting fearfully or nonfearfully to fear-relevant stimulus (e.g. snake) or fearirrelevant stimulus (flowers)
- Conditioned fear resulted from observing model reacting fearfully to fear-relevant stimulus
- Influences how easily a particular phobia could be acquired
Describe the influence of History on fear conditioning:
History of control
• History of being able to control important events in
environment
• Having a degree of control reduces impact of traumatic events
Describe the influence of Incubation on fear conditioning:
• 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 then engage in escape/avoidance each time, the fear may grow worse (counters extinction and UR>CR rule)
Describe the influence of Selective Sensitisation on fear conditioning:
• 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
During exam period, do minor events become more
severe?
