Behavioural approach to explaining phobias Flashcards
Mowrer two process model says that people ACQUIRE phobias through?
classical conditioning
Mowrer two process model states that people MAINTAIN phobias through?
operant conditioning
HOW do people maintain their phobias through operant conditioning?
avoid the fear= negative reinforcer=reduced anxiety
who conducted the little albert study?
watson and rayner
what was the procedure of the little albert study?
- Lab study
- conducted on an 11 month year old boy
- he lived in a hospital where his mother worked at, the study was conducted in said hospital
- the boy was showed several objects but showed no fear response
- eventually, a fear response was induced through the use of the noise of a banbging bar (steel bar being hit with a hammer) and he cried as a result
little albert was shown a white rat.. what was his response?
no fear
little albert was shown a white rat but also the banging bar (steel bar hit with hammer) simultaneously.. what was his response?
fear
little albert was taken out the study before he could be what…
de-conditioned
show the CLASSICAL CONDITIONING GRAPH for little albert
banging bar(UCS) –> fear(UCR)
rat(NS) —> no fear
rat(NS) + banging bar(UCS) =fear(UCR)
rat(NS) —> fear (CR)
anything else that resembled the white rat he would be what?
scared
give two examples of objects similar to the white rat little albert was scared off?
white mask and white fur
little albert being scared of anything that REPRESENTS the white fur is called what? (hint: begins with G)
generalisation
what were the findings of watson and rayner’s experiment?
little albert developed a fear of rats and similar objects
what conclusions did the watson and rayner make of the little albert study?
a conditioned emotional response acquired as a direct experiences can transfer and persist
evaluation: why is the little albert study considered to be unethical?
the study is unethical because watson and rayner didn’t receive any informed consent from the boys mother as well as that, the boy was also put under very stressful situations and therefore had no protection from harm
evaluation: why is the little albert being a lab study considered a limitation?
because the little albert study is conducted in an artificial environment, lab study, where the IV has been set, this means that it lacks ecological validity. This is because it can not be replicated in real life settings.
evaluation: why is the little albert study being a case study (a very detailed investigation on a personal a specific group of people) a limitation?
because the little albert study is a case study, this means that it lacks generalizability, as we cannot not generalise is to a wider population becaused the study is so unique.
evaluation: what other research is there to support little albert study?
Bagby - was a women who got her foot stuck in a river for several hours and hear the noises of water running, NS.
she then associated the water with fear,CR, and acquired the fear of running water. This supports the idea that phobias are acquired through classical conditioning.
evaluation: what are the two STRENGTHS of the little albert study?
- effective behavioural treatments support the behavioural explanations, such as flooding and systematic desensitizations.
evaluation: the two process model IGNORES what? (hint: evaluation)
the two process model lacks biological preparedness. this is because it completely ignores evolutionary history where certain stimulus could result in death or pain.
therefore, we could have possible innate response to things as a survival mechanism.
we are evolutionary prepared to fear certain objects that can cause harm.
evaluation: the behavioural approach states that phobias are formed due to traumatic experiences we have feared, this makes it what?
deterministic
evaluation: the behavioural approach completely ignores the role of the thought process and the biological factors that could cause phobias, this makes it what?
environmentally reductionist
