Behaviourist Approach - Explaining Phobias AO1 & AO3

Question 1

What is the behaviourist approach to explaining phobias?
Who Proposed this?

AO1

Answer 1

The Two-Process Model - phobias are acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning

Hobart Mowrer

Question 2

Who conducted the Little Albert study?

AO1

Answer 2

Watson and Rayner

Question 3

What happened in the Little Albert study?

AO1

Answer 3

Whenever they showed Albert a white rat they created a loud frightening noise by his ear -thus conditioning him to have a phobia of rats b/c of association.

*conditioning then generalised to similar objects

Question 4

How does one maintain a Phobia?

AO1

Answer 4

Through operant conditioning - positive and negative reinforcement

Question 5

what does Mowrer suggest happens when we avoid a phobic stimulus?

AO1

Answer 5

we successfully escape fear and anxiety, this reduces fear and reinforces avoidance behaviour and so phobia is maintained

Question 6

What is a strength of the behaviourist explanation?

AO3

Answer 6

It has good explanatory power - it brought abt imp implication for therapies b/c explained why patients need to be exposed to the stimulus.
Practical Application strengthened

Question 7

What is an alternative explanation for avoidance? Why does it weaken the behaviourist explanation?

AO3

Answer 7

Evidence suggests that avoidance can be motivated by positive feelings of safety - explains why a person w/ agoraphobia would leave the house w/ someone they trust and not alone, b/c they feel safe.

So avoidance b/c of safety, not anxiety

Question 8

Why can the two-process model be considered to be incomplete?

AO3

Answer 8

Bounton points out how evolutionary factors have a role in phobias - a phobia may have been acquired b/c of a source of danger in the past, so it is adaptive b/c of biological preparedness