behaviourist explanation of phobias ao3

Question 1

strength for behaviourist expalnation of phobias peel - application to therapy

Answer 1

P; a strength of the behavioural explanation is its application to therapy
E; the behaviourist ideas have been used to dev treatments including systematic desensitisation and flooding
E; systematic desensitasiation helps ppl unlearn fears using the principles of classicsl conditioning while flooding prevents ppl from avoiding thier phobias and stops neg rein from taking place
L; consequently, these therapies have been succesfully used to treat people w phobias providing further support for the effectiveness of behaviourist explanation

Question 2

strength for behaviourist expalnation of phobias - reseach supporting classical cond

Answer 2

P:; a strength of the beh app for of phobias is the little albert study which supports the aqqusistion of phobias via classical cond
E: waston amf rayner 1920 demonstarted how classical conditoning can condition phobic response in little albert
NS –> NR
RAT –> NO RESPONSE
UCS–> UCR
LOUD BANG –> FEAR
NS + UCS (PAIRED OVERTIME) –> UCR
RAT + LOUD BANG –> FEAR
CS –> CR
RAT –> FEAR
E; therefore there is clear reseach showinf evidence for aqqusition of phobia even to the point where fear becomes extended to things that are similar to stimuli via stimulus generalisation
eg albert became fearful of white furry things eg santa claus mask and white rabbit
L; providing further support for the effectiveness of behaviourist explanation

Question 3

weakness for beh app to phobias - biological prepardness

Answer 3

P; there is a claim that the beh app may not provide complete explanation of phobias
E: for example, bounton 2007 highlights the fact that evoltionary factors could play a role in phobias, especially if avoidance of a particular stim eg snakes could have increased chance of survival in our ancestors
E: consequently, evolutionary psychologists suggest that we are predisposed to some phobais like snakes and heights as they are infact innate rather then learnt as such phobias acted a survival mechanism for our ancestors
L: this innate predisposition to certain phobias is called biological preparedness (seligman, 1971) and casts doubt on the 2 step process model since it suggests that there is more to phobias than jsut learning

Question 4

weakness for beh app to phobias - ignorance of cogntive aspects of phobias

Answer 4

P; another limit of the 2 process model is taht there are cognitive aspects to phobias that cannot be explained by bheaviourst framework and are therefore ignored
E: an alternative explanation for phobias is the cog app which proposes that phobias may develop as a result of irrational thinking
E: EG a person in a lift may think that they could become trapped and suffocated which is an irrational thought which could lead to extreme anxiety and trigger a phobia. The behaviourist approach to phobias ignores how individuals mental processes and cognition play a role in aqqusition of phobias. For instance it ignores how one’s perception of phonic stimulus and pre existing schema can affect the fear they face.
L: the value of this particular explanation is that it led to cogntive therapies such as CBT which are in some cases, such as social phobia (engels et al 1993) more successful than beh treatments. The behaviourist approach limits our understanding to the roles internal mental processes like attention and perception play in phobias. This is because they purely focus on behaviours and ignore cognitive factors.