Behavioral approach Flashcards
Behaviourist
Define
Scientists who believe that human behaviour can be explained through conditioning and not needing to use our thoughts and feelings
Classical conditioning
Define
Learning through association.
A netural stimulus (NS) is consistently paired with a unconditioned stimulus (UCS) and it eventually becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) producing a conditioned response (CR)
Pavlov Dog
Operant conditioning
Define
Learning through reinforcment or punishment, if a behaviour is follwed by a desirable consequence then this behaviour is likely to be repeated again in the future
Skinners Box
Two process theory (model)
Define
This theory explains the two processes that lead to the development of phobias, begin through classical conditioning and then are maintained through operant conditioning.
Explaning phobias
Behaviourist
They assume behaviour is learnt through conditioning rather than inherited.
They say people develop Phobias via the two process model- social learning may also play a part.
The Two Process Model
Mowrer (1947)
He proposed the two process model which incorporated both classical and operant conditioning to explain how phobias are formed and kept going
Classical conditioning initiation
Watson and Rayner (1920)
Little Albert, startled with fear (UCR) to a lound noise (UCS) this noise was then compared to a white rat (NS) the rat (CS) eventually cited fear(CS) withiut the presence of the loud noise.
Operant conditioning
Maintenance
This is the likelihood the behaviour will be repeated if the outcome is rewarding.
Escaping the phobic stimulus and fear Negativly reinforcing and avoiding it all together is positive as anxiety is averted.
Social learning
This is part of the two process model.
This refers to someome aquiring a fear through observing significant others behaviours.
If a Parent is scared of Spiders then a child will be more likely to repeat this, as the behaviours appear rewarding ( fearful person gets attention)
Evaluation
Strength- classical
The importance of classical conditioning- phobics can recall the specific incident where their phobia apprared- being bitten by a dog (Sue et al 1994)
However Ost 1987 says that it depends on what phobia is.
Evaluation
Limitation- Diathesis stress model
Found that not everyone who is traumertised develops a phobia.
The diathesis stress model could explain this as if we inherit genetic vulnrebillity of developing a mental disorder then theis traumatic event could trigger it.
People who dont have this will not develop a phobia
Di Nardo 1988
Evaluation
Strength- socail learning theory
In an experiemnt the model acted in pain every time a buzzer sounded, later when the buzzer sounded the participants acted like they were in pain aquired a ‘fear’ response.
Supporting social learning theory.
Bandaura and Rosenthal (1966)
Evaluation
Limitation- Biological
Animals including humans are genetically programmed to rapidly learn to fear certain stimuli as they could be life threatning.
This shows the behavioural explanation cannot explain the development of phobias.
Seligman (1970)
Evaluation
Limitation- two process theory
The two process theory ignores cognative facotrs, as irrational factors could trigger extreme anxiety and cause a phobia to form.
Engles (1993)
