Behavioural approach to explaining phobias Flashcards
What is the behaviourist approach?
A way of explaining behaviour concerning what is observable in terms of learning.
Explain the two-process model.
An explanation proposed by Mowrer for the onset and persistence of disorders that anxiety such as phobias. The processes are classical conditioning for acquisition and operant conditioning for maintenance.
Explain acquisition by classical conditioning?
Learning to associate something we have no fear with something that triggers a fear response
What study was used to explain acquisition by classical conditioning?
Watson and Rayner (1920) conducted the Little Albert Experiment where they created a phobia in a 9month year old baby.
Explain the Little Albert Experiment.
Neutral stimulus - White rat.
Albert showed no unusual anxiety study toward a white rat.
Unconditional response - Fear.
Hammer was struck against a steel bar behind his head causing him to be afraid.
Unconditioned stimulus - Noise.
Conditioned stimulus - White rat.
The NS and UCS where paired together that the NS became associated with the UCS.
Conditioned response - Fear.
Albert displayed fear when he saw a rat.
Generalisation: Conditioned associations can often widen beyond the specific stimuli presented.
Albert portrayed distress to similar objects like a fur coat and Santa Claus beared.
Explain maintenance by operant conditioning.
-responses acquired by classical conditioning decline over time
-however phobias are long lasting
-negative reinforcement - individual avoids a situation that’s unpleasant
-positive reinforcement - such a behaviour results in a desirable consequence, which means the behaviour will be repeated.
Mowrer suggested that whenever we avoid a phobic stimulus we successfully escape the fear and anxiety.
What are the strengths of the two-process model?
Real-life application in exposure therapies.
Evidence for a link between bad experiences and phobias.
Explain the real-life application in two-process model.
A concept of the two-process is the idea that phobias are maintained by avoidance of phobic stimulus.
Explain that people with phobias benefit from being exposed to the phobic stimulus.
Avoidance behaviour prevent = Not reinforced by anxiety reduction.
Behavioural terms phobia - avoidance behaviour - avoidance prevent = phobia cured
Explain the evidence for a link between bad experiences and phobias.
Systematic evidence from Jonge et al. found that 73% people with a fear of dental treatment had a traumatic experience.
Confirms the association between stimulus (dentist) and an unconditioned response (pain) does lead to the development of the phobia.
Give the counterpoint of two-process model linking to traumatic experience.
Some phobias don’t follow a traumatic experience, for example a person may have a fear of snakes without ever having encountered a snake. This suggests some phobias have not been acquired through learning, weakening this explanation
What are the limitations of the two-process model?
Doesn’t account for cognitive aspects of phobias.
Evolutionary theory might be a better explanation for learning.
How does the two-process model not account for cognitive aspects of phobias?
There is evidence to suggest that at least some avoidance behaviour appears to be motivated more by positive feelings of safety – sticking with the safety factor more than avoiding the phobic stimulus
This can explain why some patients with agoraphobia are able to leave their house with a trusted person with relatively little anxiety (Buck, 2010)
Explain the evolutionary theory of phobia.
We easily acquire phobias of things that have been a source of danger in our evolutionary past, such as fears of snakes or the dark. Although it is quite rare to develop a fear of cars and guns, probably because they only existed very recently, so therefore we are not biologically prepared to learn fear responses towards them.
Seligman (1971) called this biological preparedness – the innate predisposition to acquire certain fears.
