Behavioural approach explaining phobias

Question 1

How does the behavioural approach explain phobias?

Answer 1

• It suggests people learn to acquire phobias through experiences with the environment.
• The behavioural approach is only concerned with observable behaviour therefore it only focuses on the behavioural symptoms and not the emotional or cognitive ones.

Question 2

How do people learn to acquire and maintain phobias?

Answer 2

• The two process model is used to explain how people acquire and maintain phobias, it is based on the principles of the behavioural approach.
• We acquire phobias through learning to associate something we have no fear of (neutral stimulus) with something that does trigger a fear response (unconditioned stimulus).
• We maintain phobias through operant conditioning our behaviour is reinforced and rewarded through negative reinforcement when we avoid the phobic stimulus which leads to a sufferer not experiencing high anxiety levels therefore our behaviour to avoid it is strengthened.

Question 3

Outline how classical conditioning explains how we learn to acquire phobias

Answer 3

Before learning:

• neutral stimulus = no response
• Unconditioned stimulus (UCS) = unconditioned response (UCR) which is fear

During learning:
-UCS + Conditioned stimulus (previously neutral stimulus now CS) = Fear response UCR

After learning:
-CS = fear response (now the conditioned response also known as CR)

Question 4

Outline how social learning theory explains how we learn to acquire phobias

Answer 4

• It suggests we learn to acquire phobias through observation of a role model and imitating their phobic behaviours. the imitation occurs as a result of vicarious reinforcement.
• It also suggests the cognitive mediational processes will occur during observation and imitation.
• Attention
• Retention
• Reproduction
• Motivation

Question 5

identify evaluation points for Behavioural explanation for phobias

Answer 5

• little Albert Watson and Rayner’s
• Real world application (flooding and Systemic desensitisation
• DiGallo (car accident)
• Alternative approaches (cognitive approach)

Question 6

Outline how other approaches explain phobias?

Answer 6

P: A limitation of the behavioural approach as an explanation for phobias is that it is reductionist.

E: The behavioural approach suggests that phobias being acquired and maintained is a result from our experiences with the environment however it fails to take into account that innate processes such as the internal mental processes.

E: The cognitive approach suggests faulty schemas we acquire through our experiences cause us to have cognitive distortions of phobic stimulus.

L: The cognitive approach provides a more sophisticated explanation for phobias as it is holistic and gives a more rounded view point on how we acquire and maintain phobias as a result of it taking into account that both environmental influences and Innate cognitive functions cooperate together to develop phobias.

Question 7

Outline DiGallo’s research and how it supports the behavioural approach as an explanation for phobias

Answer 7

P: DiGallo has provided research evidence that supports the behavioural approach as an explanation for phobias.

E: He found that 20% of people who experienced a traumatic car accident developed a phobia of travelling in cars.

E: He suggested that those people had learned to associate the car which was a neutral stimulus and produced no fear with their traumatic experiences which produced fear. Therefore travelling in a car will produce a fear response. By avoiding travelling in a car they maintain their phobias through negative reinforcement

L: This supports the two-process model which is based in the principles of the behavioural approach as an explanation for acquiring and maintaining phobias