behavioural approach to explaining phobias Flashcards
who proposed the two-process model?
- Mowrer
- based on behavioural approach to phobias
- states phobias acquired by classical conditioning then continue because of operant conditioning
how are phobias acquired by classical conditioning?
learn to associate something of which we originally have no fear (neutral stimulus) to something that already triggers a fear response (unconditioned stimulus)- becomes a phobic stimulus (conditioned stimulus)
outline Watson and Rayner’s study into acquisition by classical conditioning
aim- to create phobia in 9-month-old baby ‘Little Albert’
showed white rat- no unusual anxiety, tried to play with it
then presented rat with loud scary noise (banging on iron bar next to his ear)
noise US- UR of fear, rat NS, becomes associated w US, rat CS- CR of fear
generalised to similar- e.g. fur coat
how are phobias maintained through operant conditioning?
negative reinforcement- person avoids unpleasant situation (phobic stimulus and anxiety/fear), desirable consequence (no fear/anxiety), behaviour repeated (phobia maintained)
strength- good explanatory power
went beyond Watson and Rayner’s concept of classical conditioning
included maintenance
implications for therapies- exposure needed
avoidance prevented, behaviour not reinforced, phobia declines
strength- value for treatment, improve QoL
limitation- alt expls for avoidance
not all avoidance behaviour result of anxiety reduction
e.g. agoraphobia- positive feelings of safety (staying inside)
explains why some able to leave w/ trusted person w/ little anxiety but not alone
limitation- model limited/ over-simplified, suggests all avoidance motivated by anxiety reduction
problem- incomplete expl of phobias
some phobia aspects need further explaining
Seligman- biological preparedness, adaptive to acquire fears of dark or snakes (source of danger in evol past)
fears of cars/guns rare- more dangerous today than snakes/dark
recent existence- not biologically prepared yet
problem- more to acquiring phobias than conditioning, model over-simplified/limited
issue- phobias that don’t follow trauma
conditioning- phobias follow bad experience
some develop phobia w/out this
social learning- child observes parent avoid something to reduce anxiety, good model so imitates, reinforced (own anxiety reduction and seeing parents anxiety reduced)
psychodynamic- displaced anxiety
issue- not all phobias result from classical conditioning, model limited/over-simplified
criticism- ignores cognitive aspects of phobias
behaviourists explain behaviour not cognition
phobias have cognitive element
however- behaviourists see it as bi-product of its behavioural characteristics
or may not require learning- hard-wired to focus on anything provoking anxiety (evolution)