Behaviourist explanation of phobias

Question 1

How does classical conditioning lead to a phobia?

Answer 1

People begin to associate an object/animal/place with a feeling of anxiety

Question 2

What are the 3 equations for classical conditioning?

Answer 2

UCS - UCR
UCS + NS - UCR
CS - CR

Question 3

What is the study where phobias were proven to be caused by classical conditioning?

Answer 3

The Little Albert study

Question 4

What type of conditioning causes a phobia to continue?

Answer 4

Operant

Question 5

Who created the 2 process model?

Answer 5

Mower

Question 6

How does operant conditioning relate to phobias?

Answer 6

When we avoid a phobic stimulus we escape the fear that we would have experienced if we stayed there

Question 7

Strength - Real world application

Answer 7

• Can be used in exposure therapies
• Important to explain why people with phobias benefit from being exposed to the phobic stimulus
• When the avoidance is prevented, it isn’t reinforced by the anxiety reduction
• This shows the value of the model

Question 8

Limitation - Cognitive aspects of phobias

Answer 8

• The two-process model explains behaviour
• It ignores the cognitive aspects of phobias such as irrational beliefs about the phobic stimulus
• The model explains avoidance behaviour but doesn’t givean explanation for phobic cognitions
• This means that the model doesn’t completely explain the symptoms of phobias

Question 9

Strength - Phobias and traumatic experiences

Answer 9

• Little Albert study shows the link between a frightening experience involving a stimulus leading to a phobia of the stimulus
• Ad De Jongh study - 73% of people with a fear of dentist treatment had a traumatic experience
• Compared to a control group of people with low dentist anxiety where 21% had experienced a traumatic experienced