Behaviour Approach To Explaining Phobias

Question 1

What is the two process model

Answer 1

Hobart Mowrer (1960) 
2 process model to gaining phobia 
Classical conditioning and then continue through operant conditioning

Question 2

What is classical conditioning

Answer 2

Learning to associate a neutral stimulus (no fear) with something that already triggers a fear or response (unconditioned stimulus)

Question 3

Study on phobias classical conditioning

Answer 3

Watson and Rayner (1920)
Little Albert
He had no unusual anxiety at the start of the study but though classical conditioning they created a phobia of fury objects- initially a rat, this then expanded to a rabbit and Santa’s beard

Every time a rat was presented he was then given a loud bang noise- which made him associate the bang with fury creatures. Thus conditioning the stimulus

Question 4

What is operant conditioning

Answer 4

When a behaviour is reinforced or punished.
Negative reinforcement (something is taken away)
Positive reinforcement
(something is given)

Question 5

What is operant conditioning link to phobias

Answer 5

Reinforcement increase the frequency of a behaviour. So behaviour such as avoiding a spider increases the fear of a spider.
The reduction in exposure to fear reinforces the avoidance behaviour so the phobia is maintained

Question 6

Evaluation - good explanatory power

Answer 6

When the 2 process model was proposed in 1960 it gave a step forward.

• explained how they can be maintained
• thus important need of exposure in therapies

This is a strength due to the beneficial application to therapy

Question 7

Evaluation- there is alternatives explanation for avoidant behaviour

Answer 7

Buck (2010)
Stated that not all avoidance from phobias is negative.
In the case of agoraphobia, individual avoids for positive implications to feel safe.
-suggests that 2 process model reasoning of anxiety reduction may not always be true
-clients may avoid simply only for safety factor

Question 8

Evaluation- incomplete explanation of phobias

Answer 8

Bounton (2007)
-evolutionary factors are a key role in phobias—- but 2 process model fails to show this
-fears of snakes, or the dark may be adaptive.
Seligman (1971)
-called this BIOLOGICAL PREPARDNESS
-the innate predisposition to acquire cerain fears

Limitation because 2 process model doesn’t consider this