Behavioural approach to phobias Flashcards
what is a phobia
An extreme fear of an object, situation or activity which leads to avoidance
what is the two process model
a theory which explains that two processes lead to the development of phobias- beginning with classical conditioning and maintained through operant
how does classical conditioning lead to the development of a phobia
1) the phobias is acquired through association of a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned response= fear
2) being bitten by a dog( UCS)—> fear (UCR)
3) Dog(NS) associated with UCS
4) dog (now CS) produces a fear response (CR)
how does operant conditioning maintain a phobia
1) maintained through consequences
2) the avoidance of the phobic stimulus reduces anxiety and fear which is rewarding
3) it is a negative reinforcement and thus increases the likelihood of the avoidance behaviour being repeated, therefore maintaining the phobia
Evaluate the behavioural approach to explaining phobias
1) Research support= Little Hans case study
2) challenging research = suggested phobias may be due to irrational thinking which may cause anxiety, this alternative explanation has led to many successful therapies such as CBT which in some cases have been more successful than behaviorist therapies = fails to consider cognitive explanations limiting explanation
2) research methods = use of animal studies ie pavlov = decreased ecological validity
4) issue and debate= nature vs nurture
how can the behavioural approach be used to treat phobias
1) flooding
2) systematic desensitisation
outline flooding
a form of behavioral therapy used to treat phobias where the client is exposed to an extreme form of the threatening situation after they have been taught self-relaxation techniques until the anxiety response is stopped
outline systematic desensitisation
a form of behavioral therapy used to treat phobias where a client is gradually introduced to the threatening situation using a desensitization hierarchy after being trained to complete relaxation techniques
what does flooding aim to do
eliminate the anxiety response by challenging rationale- a persons fear response has a time limit as adrenaline levels decrease the new stimuli-response link can be learned and is now associated with a non-anxious response
what does systematic desensitisation aim to do
aims to eliminate the fear response using counterconditioning- the patient is taught a new association that runs counter to the original, fearful association.
what is a desensitisation hierarchy
gradually introducing a persons feared situation one step at a time so it is less overwhelming
Evaluate flooding
1) effective = quicker and cheaper than SD
2) individual differences reduce effectiveness = can be traumatic so patients may quit during treatment decreasing effectiveness
evaluate systematic desensitisation
1) effectivness= 75% response rate, found in vivo techniques more effective than photos
2) not appropriate for all phobias= not effective for phobias with underlying evolutionary survival comments such as heights
