behavioural approach of explaining phobia

Question 1

Who proposed the two process model

Answer 1

Hobart Mowrer(1960)

Question 2

According to Mowrer how are phobias acquired

Answer 2

Acquired by classical conditioning and then maintained through operant conditioning

Question 3

How was little Albert conditioned to have a fear response?

Answer 3

Loud noise(UCS)=fear(UCR)
White rat (NS)= no response
The loud noise and white right are now paired together
White rat (NS is now CS)=Fear (CR)

Question 4

What does maintenance by operant conditioning mean?

Answer 4

Operant conditioning takes place when our behaviour is reinforced or punished. Reinforcement tends to increase the frequency of a behaviour. This is true of both negative and positive. Mowrer suggested that whenever we avoid a phobic stimulus we successfully escape the fear and anxiety that we would have suffered if we had remained there. This reduction in fear reinforces the avoidance behaviour and so the phobia is maintained.

Question 5

Use the behavioural approach to explain Robert’s
phobia:
Robert is an 8 year old boy who has always been reluctant to go to school. Often, the night before school he would vomit and become very anxious.
His mother often had to push him out the door to school, but his tears and complaints of feeling unwell meant his mum often let him stay home. Robert was simply terrified with school.

Answer 5

Phobia developed from conditioning. School became associated with anxiety (classical).
Avoidance of school reduced anxiety.Continued absence served to reduce fear = negative reinforcement (operant)

Also, Robert was rewarded with his mothers
company when he stayed off school (operant)

Question 6

Evaluation-
Good explanatory power

Answer 6

It explains how phobias could be maintained over time and this had important implications for therapies because it explains why patients need to be exposed to the feared stimulus.Once a patient is prevented from practicing their avoidance behaviour the behaviour ceases to be reinforced and so it declines

Question 7

Evaluation- Alternative explanation for avoidance behaviour

Answer 7

Not all avoidance behaviour associated with phobias seems to be the result of anxiety reduction, at least in more complex phobias like agoraphobia.Evidence that some avoidance behaviour appears to be motivated more by positive feelings of safety. this is a problem for the two process model,which suggests that avoidance is motivated by anxiety reduction.

Question 8

strength- effective treatments

Answer 8

Effective treatments available for some abnormalities-phobias and systematic desensitisation

Question 9

limitations-traumatic experiences

Answer 9

Not everyone who has a phobia has had a
traumatic experience – weakens the support of the
explanation

Question 10

Evaluation-An incomplete explanation of phobias(biological preparedness)

Answer 10

Bounton (2007) points out, that evolutionary factors probably have an important role in phobias but the two-factor theory does not mention this. E.g fear of dark or snakes as this would be a danger in our evolutionary past. it is adaptive to acquire such fears. Seligman (1971) called this biological preparedness

Question 11

Evaluation- Cognitive aspects

Answer 11

Phobias could also have a cognitive element. We may be ‘hard-wired’ to focus our attention on anything that provokes anxiety. That would be quite sensible actually as most things that cause us anxiety are actually dangerous