Classical Conditioning💚

Question 1

What is meant by the term ‘Tabula Rasa’?

Answer 1

Blank slate

Question 2

What are the assumptions of Learning Theories?

Answer 2

• ALL THREE LEARNING THEORIES suggest that human behaviour is learnt after birth. Collectively they believe that that all individuals are born as a blank slate (tabula rasa) and every experience teaches an individual a new behaviour which in turn shapes and forms who they are. Therefore, the theories believe that NURTURE (environmental factors) is responsible for causing behaviour.
• ALL THREE LEARNING THEORIES have been developed through the use of scientific research which used the experimental method to try and establish cause and effect and therefore the theories support psychology as a science.
• Due to this credible research methodology underpinning ALL THREE LEARNING THEORIES they have many PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS and can develop therapies, enhance educational practices, prevent crime and can develop social policies which can be helpful in society.

Question 3

What was the name of the physiologist who developed Classical Conditioning?

Answer 3

Ivan Pavlov

Question 4

What was Pavlov’s aim in his Experiment with Salivation in Dogs (1927)

Answer 4

he wanted to see if associating a reflex (salvation UCR) with a neutral stimulus (a sound) causes learning to take place, producing a conditioned behaviour in new situations.

Question 5

What was Pavlov’s sample in his Experiment with Salivation in Dogs (1927)

Answer 5

Over many experiments he used 35 dogs of a variety of breeds, raised in kennels in the lab.

Question 6

Explain how Pavlov’s study is high in validity in his Experiment with Salivation in Dogs (1927)

Answer 6

• Pavlov placed each dog in a sealed room that didn’t allow the dog to see, smell or hear anything outside. This was to prevent other stimuli (extraneous variables) from making the dog salivate.
• its mouth was linked to a tube that drained saliva away into a measuring bottle. Pavlov’s careful set-up enabled him to count how much saliva the dogs produced. Increasing accuracy of measurement (validity)

Question 7

What was Pavlov’s procedure in his Experiment with Salivation in Dogs (1927)

Answer 7

In the control condition, Pavlov presented the dog with food (meat powder) through a hatch. The dog salivated.
In the experimental condition, Pavlov presented the dog with the NS- sound. The dog did not salivate at this, showing that it was indeed a NS.
To condition the dog, Pavlov paired the sound (NS) with the presentation of food (UCS). He usually did this about 20 times.
After it was conditioned, Pavlov presented the dog with the sound but no meat.

Question 8

What are the results of Pavlov’s Experiment with Salivation in Dogs (1927)

Answer 8

✅Over a series of experiments, Pavlov confirmed, through measuring the dogs’ saliva, that the dogs learned to associate the sound (conditioned stimulus) with the food (unconditioned stimulus), and therefore would begin to salivate when they heard the sound.
•Other results indicated secondary conditioning was possible: the dog, having learned an association between the metronome and the food could also learn to salivate at the sound of a buzzer. This was achieved by simple pairing the metronome with the buzzer for a number of trials.
✅Pavlov also found that not all dogs were the same - the same experiment done on two different dogs would give different results.

Question 9

What are the conclusions of Pavlov’s Experiment with Salivation in Dogs (1927)

Answer 9

•Pavlov concluded through a process of associative learning (conditioning) the conditioned stimulus leads
to a conditioned response. A new behaviour was learnt.
•Furthermore, Pavlov suggested this is how animals in the wild learn to hunt or escape being hunted: they learn to apply their reflexes to new situations based on experiences they’ve had before. He suggested that this would mean new neural pathways would be formed in the brain.

Question 10

Define stimulus

Answer 10

A external factor/ event which is interpreted through the senses and can bring about a behavior (response)

Question 11

Define unconditioned stimulus

Answer 11

A stimulus that elicits an unconditioned response; for example, food is an unconditioned stimulus for a hungry animal, and salivation is the unconditioned response.
(Natural stimlulus)

Question 12

Define conditioned stimulus

Answer 12

A previously neutral stimulus that, after repeated association with an
unconditioned stimulus; elicits the response produced by the unconditioned stimulus itself.

Question 13

Define conditioned response

Answer 13

An automatic response established by training to an ordinarily neutral stimulus.

Question 14

Define unconditioned response

Answer 14

behaviour that occurs naturally due to
a given stimulus
(Natural response)

Question 15

Define neutral stimulus

Answer 15

a stimulus which initially produces no specific/desired response other than
perhaps focusing attention. (unassociated)

Question 16

Suggest, using classical conditioning,

how a child might become afraid of dogs (4)

Answer 16

The dog is the neutral stimulus.
If the dog jumps up on the child (unconditioned stimulus) this will elicit a fear response (the unconditioned response).
If this happens repeatedly, the dog becomes a conditioned stimulus.
And the child feels fear (conditioned response) when she sees a dog even if it doesn’t jump on her.

Question 17

Describe the process of Classical Conditioning - A Theory of Learning

Answer 17

•Stage 1: Before Conditioning:
the unconditioned stimulus (stomach virus) produces an unconditioned response (nausea). Is a natural response which had not been learnt.
•Stage 2: Before Conditioning:
This stage also involves another stimulus which has no specific effect on an organism and is called the neutral stimulus (NS). The NS could be chocolate cake.
•Stage 3: During Conditioning:
Eating a certain food such as chocolate cake (this will become the CS), may be presented to the person with a stomach virus (UCS) and the nausea (UCR). (Usually must be associated with the CS over a number of occasions)
•Stage 4: After Conditioning:
Now the conditioned stimulus (CS) has been associated with the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) to create a new conditioned response (CR). For example:
• Chocolate cake (CS) which was eaten (UCS) now produces a response of nausea (CR).

Question 18

What is mean by the term spontaneous recovery in classical conditioning?

Answer 18

after extinction sometimes the association recurs for no specific reason. The reappearance of a conditioned response is called a spontaneous recovery. For example, this can happen to individuals after they have witnessed a traumatic experience.

Question 19

What is mean by the term stimulus generalisation in classical conditioning?

Answer 19

is a tendency is for the CS to produce the same behaviour to a similar situation after the response has been conditioned.
For example, if an individual has a learnt fear of dogs (CS) they could generalise this fear to toys of dogs, pictures of dogs and this could eventually even be generalised to other furry domestic animals - possibly cats.

Question 20

Evaluate the evidence for Classical Conditioning

Answer 20

There’s a lot of research in support of Classical Conditioning Theory
which increases its credibility as an explanation of learning in animals and humans.
For example Pavlov (1927) showed how classical conditioning could be used to make a dog salivate to the sound of a tuning fork and other auditory neutral stimuli.
Another example is Watson and Rayner (1920) demonstrated that classical conditioning could explain
emotional responses in a human child.

Question 21

Evaluate the methodology for Classical Conditioning (strength)

Answer 21

Classical conditioning theory is a scientifically credible explanation of
human learning. This is because it’s based on empirical evidence carried out in controlled experiments.
Much of it is with animals thus allowing strict control of extraneous variables. Because the theory only concerns itself with directly observable behaviours (rather than cognitions), every step in the conditioning process is visible. This adds to the credibility of the theory since empiicism is an important characteristic of science.

Question 22

What practical applications does Classical Conditioning have?

Answer 22

Classical Conditioning Theory has led to a number of effective treatments
for dysfunctional behaviours, for aversion therapy and systematic desensitisation:
•Systematic desensitisation works by associating a troubling CR (like a phobia) with the CS (like a spider) in a
relaxing, safe environment. Gradually, the patient stops associating fear with the spider. The spider goes back to
being a NS, producing no fear reaction.
•Aversion therapy works by associating a dysfunctional behaviour (like excessive drinking) with a UCR (like vomiting) to produce a new CS. If successful, the CS will produce a
nauseous CR whenever drink is present. This sort of therapy works best when the patient is willing and wants the therapy to succeed.

Question 23

Evaluate the methodology against Classical Conditioning

Answer 23

•Although research, such as Pavlov’s, on dogs and other animals shows
how classical conditioning takes place, generalising the finding and conclusions to human learning is not straight forward and may question the credibility of the research.
•It can also be argued that the reductionist methodology behind the theory lacks validity since, whilst reductionism is useful for scientific research, it can lead to incomplete explanations of human behaviour.

Question 24

Suggest Alternative Theories to Classical Conditioning

Answer 24

The theory focuses entirely on observable behaviours and ignores the role of cognitive processes such as decision making, motivation, memory.
There are other learning theories that are better at explaining how humans learn complex behaviours. For example, Social Learning Theory includes cognitions as well as observable behaviours in its explanation of human learning. SLT looks at how children conclude, from seeing role models in action that “If they did that and got a reward, I should do it too. This makes better at explaining how we learn more complicated behaviors like aggression, how children learn to talk or why people turn to crime.

Question 25

Explain how classical conditoning is considered deterministic

Answer 25

It suggests a person has no control over the reactions they have learned from classical conditioning, such as a phobia.
Deterministic psychology underestimates the uniqueness of human beings and their freedom to
choose their own behaviours.

Question 26

What is your classic study for classical conditioning?

Answer 26

Watson and Rayner (1920)

Question 27

Explain the main principies of classical conditioning?

Answer 27

The main principles of classical conditioning are based upon the pairing of an UCS with a neutral/conditioned stimulus which in turn develops a CR.
Classical conditioning therefore assumes that new behaviour is always learnt through a pairing of
stimuli.

Question 28

Outline two reasons why animals should be used in experiments

Answer 28

• Animals are easy to handle and allow for good control (high validity)
• Experiments are fairly easy to repeat and carry out again and again (high reliability)

Question 29

Outline two reasons why animals should not be used in experiments

Answer 29

•There are brain differences between
humans and animals - this impacts on
the generalisability.
•Unethical as they cannot give informed consent. Harm may also be done to them.

Question 30

What was the aim for your classic study for classical conditioning?

Answer 30

Watson and Rayner wanted to find out:
•Whether they could condition fear of an animal by simultaneously presenting the animal and striking a steel bar to make a loud noise to frighten the child.
•Whether the fear would be transferred to other animals and objects.
•The effect of time on the conditioned response.

Question 31

Prodecure for watson and rayner

Answer 31

Add it from ppt or your APRC

Question 32

What was the overall conclusion for your classic study for classical conditioning?

Answer 32

•A conditioned response of fear can
occur in humans after even only a
few pairings of stimulus.
•However the pairings might have to be repeated.
•The conditioned response can be transferred to other similar objects and settings.
•Albert was removed trom the study,
so there was no means of seeing the responses could be extinguished.

Question 33

Give the name of the participant in Watson and Rayner’s study?

Answer 33

Little Albert

Question 34

At 11 months and 15 days Watson and Rayner introduced a variety of different stimuli - list each one

Answer 34

• dog
• fur coat
• hair
• cotton wool
• santa mask
• rabbit

Question 35

Identify the factor that learning theories suggest cause behaviour?

Answer 35

The external environment and everything that occurs after birth.

Question 36

All three learning theories have been developed through what type of research?

Answer 36

Scientific lab experiments

Question 37

Explain why Pavlov’s study is regarded to support psychology as a science?

Answer 37

This is regarded to be measured in an objective and scientific manner. This research had huge implications for the psychological world, since previous research to this was purely based upon qualitative data, this was the first time anyone was able to measure statistically that behaviour had a direct cause an effect link.

Question 38

Outline a weakness with Pavlov’s research

Answer 38

as the results are only representative of dogs this in turn impacts on the application of the results since they are only related to the dogs that were used in this experiment.

Question 39

Define what is meant by the term extinction in classical conditioning?

Answer 39

Conditioning can disappear when the association between UCS and the CS no longer happens and this is referred to as extinction. This can happen when the paired stimulus is separated and this means that the learned response is no longer carried out.

Question 40

List the emotional reaction Little Albert showed at 9 months old when he was exposed to a white rat, rabbit or cotton wool?

Answer 40

No fear response – Unconditioned response

Question 41

Identify what happened naturally to the Little Albert when a steel bar was struck loudly

Answer 41

fear response the baby’s lips puckered and trembled and he had a sudden crying fit.

Question 42

Identify the type of fear response was shown when Little Albert was 11 months and 3 days?

Answer 42

No fear response

Question 43

At 11 months and 10 days the conditioning began, what was the unconditioned stimulus?

Answer 43

The loud noise

Question 44

Throughout the conditioning of Little Albert what is regarded to be the conditioned stimulus?

Answer 44

White rat

Question 45

After the conditioning what was The conditioned response of the participant when they were shown the white rat alone?

Answer 45

Albert started to cry immediately, turned and started to crawl away

Question 46

What did the results from Watson and Rayner’s experiment find?

Answer 46

The fear of a white rat and other similar animals and objects can be explained using classical conditioning principles.

Question 47

Explain two strengths of the Watson and Rayner study?

Answer 47

• There were strict controls which were used and only one variable was changed at one time, this in turn increased the validity of the study.
• Also due to the methodology being simple and step by step it could have easily been replicable overtime therefore increasing the reliability.

Question 48

Explain two weaknesses of the Watson and Rayner study

Answer 48

• Rayner did not fully protect Little Albert from psychological harm.
• It was a case study and therefore only focused on one individual – Little Albert. This means that the study was only representative of him and that the results are not generalisable to a wider population.
• Furthermore, the study was completed in a laboratory setting and this therefore means it was not representative of a natural environment and therefore lacked ecological validity. This in turn means that there will be implications of how representative the study findings are of how fear is learnt in a natural environment.

Question 49

Identify what fear is regarded to be one of?

Answer 49

one of the six universal primary emotions which every human has

Question 50

Explain the purpose of the fear emotion in humans?

Answer 50

The purpose of the fear emotion is that it serves as a protective purpose and activates the ‘flight or fight’ response. In terms of evolution the flight or fight response was effective for keeping
individuals alive when they encountered a dangerous situation which required a response. So fears
serve to be purposeful and help to protect individuals to stay alive!

Question 51

Outline how a phobia is classified?

Answer 51

• The fear of the object, item or situation has to be marked and persistent which affects the person’s functioning in everyday life.
• Exposure to the phobic stimulus almost invariably provokes an immediate anxiety response which may take the form of crying, a panic attack, freezing or running away.
• The object, item or situation is excessively avoided by the individual
• These symptoms must be present for at least 6 months

Question 52

How does Classical Conditioning explain the ACQUISITION of a phobia ?

Answer 52

In particular Watson and Rayner’s research confirmed that through the process of classical conditioning and the pairing of an unconditioned stimulus and a neutral stimulus can bring about a conditioned emotional response. This conditioned response can be a fear response. If a fear response is learnt, it can turn into a phobia over time.

Question 53

How does Classical Conditioning explain the MAINTENANCE of a phobia?

Answer 53

•Once a phobia has been established it can also be maintained (continued) by classical conditioning.
• It is likely that the pairing between the unconditioned stimulus and the neutral stimulus would have to be renewed occasionally.
For example in Watson and Rayner’s study
•Albert had been conditioned to fear the rat but at 11 months 20 days they found the fear of the rat (NS) was less marked. So they paired the rat with the loud noise (UCS) again and renewed the conditioned fear response (CR) to the rat (CS)

Question 54

Explain two factors which cause the 6 universal emotions to occur?

Answer 54

These emotions have developed through evolutionary needs (NATURE) and environmental factors (NURTURE).

Question 55

Identify the natural fears at ages 0-2years

Answer 55

Loud noises, speration from parents, strangers

Question 56

Identify the natural fears at ages 3-6 years

Answer 56

The dark, imaginary things like ghosts and monsters, sleeping alone

Question 57

Identify the natural fears at ages 7-16 years

Answer 57

More realistic fears such as injury, illness, school performance, death

Question 58

Define social phobia

Answer 58

fear of interacting with other people

Question 59

Define agoraphobia

Answer 59

fear of open public spaces

Question 60

Define emetophobia

Answer 60

Fear of vomiting

Question 61

Define erythrophobia

Answer 61

Fear of blushing

Question 62

Define Vehophobia

Answer 62

Fear of driving

Question 63

Hypochondria

Answer 63

Fear of illness

Question 64

Arachnophobia

Answer 64

Fear of spiders

Question 65

Marie is terited of cats; Whenever she sees a cat or hears a cat meowing
she becomes very anxious and shows obvious signs of stress. She avoids people’s houses if she knows that they have a cat. She thinks this goes back to an incident when she was six years old and was scratched by a neighbour’s cat.
Identity the components of classical conditioning:

Answer 65

UCS= pain of the cat scratching 
UCR= fear
NS= cats 
CS= cats
CR= fear

Question 66

Give a weakness of generalisability from Watson and Rayner’s study

Answer 66

P: A weakness of Watson and Rayner’s study was that it involved a case study of one individual Little Albert.
E: This means that the study was only representative of one person and therefore the results are not generalisable to a wider population.
E: For example, he was a young child- 9 months old at the start of the study - it is not clear that adults would respond to the classical conditioning in the same way.
C: However, The study used standardised methods to pair a rat with and have an aversive stimulus so this research could theoretically be repeated to test on a larger sample of children.

Question 67

Give a weakness of ethic from Watson and Rayner’s study

Answer 67

P: Although ethical guideline did not exist at the time of Watson and Rayner’s study, this research
can still be criticised on ethical grounds.
E: Little Albert, prior to the experiment, was not easily frightened, but throughout the experiment became more fearful of many other situations. Therefore, Watson and Rayner did not fully protect Little Albert from psychological harm.
E; For example, on numerous occasions he is described as ‘crying’ and ‘whimpering’ in response to
stimuli such as the rat and dog.
C: In addition, as little Albert is a child so his mother would’ve given conesnt. BUT it is not made clear how much his mother knew of what would happen to Little Albert. Therefore, informed consent is raised as an anouther ethical issue.

Question 68

Give a strength of relatability from Watson and Rayner’s study

Answer 68

P: A strength of Watson and Rayner’s study is that it is regarded to have high reliability.
E: The methodology used by Watson and Rayner was simple and well documented step by step so it can easily be replicated.
E: For example, Little Albert was exposed to the loud noise and the rat in a set of standardised procedures based on Pavlov’s theory of Classical conditioning.
C: Furthermore, the same group of stimuli was showed to Albert in a different room.

Question 69

Give a strength of validity from Watson and Rayner’s study

Answer 69

P: A strength of Watson and Rayner’s study is that it can be argued to be high in validity.
E: This is because the study was scientific and carried out in laboratory conditions with high levels of control.
E: For example, the use of the blocks as a baseline to show Albert played perfectly normally when given objects that had not been conditioned.
C: Cause and effect links are made showing that fear responses can be learnt. Therefore, this study
provides evidence to support psychology being a science. For example different sitimuli were presnted (IV) such as the santa mask and they were conditioned in the same way to measure Little Alberts repsone (DV).

Question 70

Give the amount of people approximately have phobias in the UK?

Answer 70

10 million

Question 71

List the two types of therapy for phobias

Answer 71

• systematic desensitisation

* flooding

Question 72

Give the name of who developed systematic desensitisation?

Answer 72

Wolpe, a South African psychiatrist

Question 73

With systematic desensitisation give the name of the other skills which are taught to help an individual face their fear?

Answer 73

Progressive muscle relaxation

Question 74

Define Progressive muscle relaxation

Answer 74

Relaxation technique used to calm the muscles

Question 75

Define in vivo

Answer 75

Being exposed to a real object

Question 76

Define in vitro

Answer 76

Being exposed to an imaginary object

Question 77

Define systematic

Answer 77

gradually facing up to the phobic object via a hierarchy of exposure (from least fearful to most fearful).

Question 78

Define desensitisation

Answer 78

brought about by relaxation techniques taught before facing the phobic object.

Question 79

Describe the anxiety levels over time in an individual throughout systematic desensitisation

Answer 79

Through systematic desensitisation over the weeks the individual’s anxiety should reduce and an individual would be less fearful of the stimulus since the learnt stimulus and response links will now be broken as a new association has been learnt.
Through time they may still become slightly anxious when presented with the stimulus but calm down at a much quicker rate.

Question 80

What a the strengths of systematic desensitisation?

Answer 80

•Systematic desensitisation is regarded
to be an effective method to treat phobias. There is much scientific evidence to indicate that the treatment is effective when treating individuals with phobias. For example McGrath et al (1990) found that 75% of individuals with phobias respond to this therapy.

•It is generalisable to many different kinds of specific phobias. For example, fear of spiders, dogs and flying.
This has been demonstrated through research by Capatóns et al (1998) who found that it is effective for treating fear of flying.

• Systematic desensitisation is the preferred treatment within the NHS -practical applications.
• Treating phobias with systematic desensitisation is regarded to be ethical because the exposure to the feared stimulus is gradual and agreed with the individual prior to the exposure. Since the individual is involved in how the treatment is carried out, it enables them to feel empowered and involved.

Question 81

What a the limitations of systematic desensitisation?

Answer 81

• Individual differences must be taken into account: this therapy does not suit everyone e.g. not everyone can easily learn to relax.
• it cannot be applied to people who have more generalised anxiety disorders as situations/objects must be clearly identifiable for it to work.
• ⭐️The usefulness of SD is also limited by reductionism: it takes a limited view in that it assumes that all phobias are caused by classical conditioning. It is possible that more complex cognitive process lie behind some phobias - it should be remembered that much of the original research was done with animals.

• it is less effective at treating phobias that have an underlying survival component, such as fear of the dark or dangerous animals which may be deep rooted fears that enabled survival in
our evolutionary past. Patients with phobias like this which may not have developed through a personal experience (classical conditioning) are not effectively treated using systematic
desensitisation. These phobias highlight a limitation of systematic desensitisation which is ineffective in treating evolutionary phobias.

Question 82

Describe the issue and debate of social control in Aversion Therapy

Answer 82

(Okay so theres alot but it’s interesting cut it up and do whatever really idk) Aversion Therapy is another form of therapy which is based upon classical conditioning. This therapy is different to systematic desensitisation as it targeted at dysfunctional behaviours like addictions (not phobias).
It works on the idea that to treat patient you need to recondition the stimulus of the addiction with an aversion stimulus. Aversion stimuli
create an undesired emotion of dislike or disgust when presented with the conditioned stimulus to ensure that the behaviour will not be repeated. in the past, aversion therapy has been used to try and convert homosexuals to heterosexuality.
Electric shocks were administered when the men were looking at pictures of naked men.
Combined with this no electric shocks were administered whilst the men were viewing pictures of
naked women. The idea was to change the conditioning, so that pain was paired with looking at naked men and that this association would lead to an unpleasant feeling each time this stimulus was encountered.
In the 1960s, One gay man, Billy Clegg-Hill, was reported to have died from coma and convulsions which were caused by injections of a drug that were given to make him sick during aversion therapy. The aim was to get him to pair sickness with images of naked men in order to ‘cure’ him.
He did not volunteer for therapy but was arrested for homosexuality and sentenced by a judge to compulsory treatment.
In 1994, the American Psychological Association (APA) said that aversion therapy is dangerous and does not work. From 2006, the APA has stated that the use of aversion therapy to treat sexuality violates the ethical code of the APA. Its use for that purpose is now illegal.

Question 83

What learning theory is flooding based upon?

Answer 83

Classical conditioning

Question 84

Explain the process of flooding

Answer 84

• The phobic individual is placed in a feared (but harmless ) situation for a prolonged period.
• They are prevented from the normally rewarding pattern of escape
• With enough exposure to the feared stimulus, extinction of the fear response should occur because the feared stimulus does not cause any harm.

Question 85

Explain flooding as a treatment of a phobia

Answer 85

Flooding uses the idea that a phobia response is caused by an alarm reaction and that these emotions only have certain longevity before they subside.

Question 86

Describe the biological component of flooding?

Answer 86

•The alarm reaction is a biological reaction giving the person energy for the flight/fight repsonse.
•Blood sugar is made available and other activities in the body such as
digestion tend to cease as the body goes into a high alert stage.
•As the body uses up all the blood sugar then it will start to calm.
•As the body starts to calm the parasympathetic nervous system begins to work and this in turn will calm the sympathetic nervous system.

Question 87

Give a strength of Flooding Therapy?

Answer 87

Flooding is regarded as an effective method to reduce individual’s fears and can be used with a number of
different phobias. It is much faster than other therapies - so when it works it works very quickly. For example, Wolpe (1973) carried out an experiment with a girl who was afraid of cars - he drove her around for just a few hours before she became calm.

Question 88

What are the limitations of flooding therapy?

Answer 88

• it involves trauma for the patient and so is NOT ETHICAL because the participant is purposely put into situation of great distress. in Wolpe’s (1973) experiment, although the girl eventually calmed down, she was frantic for a large part of the journey but he kept driving her around.
• issues of SOCIAL CONTROL are raised as the therapist is in control of the client= they are not allowed leave the fearful situation.

Question 89

Give one similarity of systematic desensitisation and flooding (PEE format)

Answer 89

P: One similarity of systemic desensitisation and flooding is that they are both effective method to treat phobias with evidence to support.
E: For example McGrath et al (1990) found that 75% of individuals with phobias respond to systemic desensitisation.
E: This is similair to flooding as Wolpe (1973) drove around a girl who was afraid of cars and after a few hours she became calm.

Question 90

What is the aim of your contemporary study for classical conditioning?

Answer 90

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of systematic desensitisation as a treatment programme to treat fear of flying.

Question 91

How many participants were recruited in total for your contemporary study and how many were in both groups?

Answer 91

41 Participants were recruited.

20 in the treatment group and 21 in the waiting/control group.

Question 92

What materials were used in your contemporary study for classcal conditioning?

Answer 92

• General diagnostic information on fear of flying. (PSYCHOMETRICS)
• Fear of Flying Scales: (PSYCHOMETRICS)
• Videotape of a plane trip
• Psychophysical recording instruments (objective measure of DV)

Question 93

Outline the prodcedure for your contemporary study in classical conditioning

Answer 93

Step 1: All of the participants were interviewed individually by members of the research team and completed the IDG-FY (the diagnostic test)
Step 2: Participants then watched the videotape of the plane visit whist undergoing the psychophysical measurement. The temperature of the room was also maintained at a level of 22.5°C. The participant sat in an arm chair which was positioned 1.8
metres from a television. Before the viewing of the video there was a habituation session where the participant became acquainted with the the psychophysical recording instruments. The participants’ responses were measured for a three- minute period in the absence of phobic stimulus. The patient then proceeded to watch the video and was told to feel as involved as possible.
Step 3: At the end of the video another appointment was made for the presenting treatment (in the case of the treatment group) or for the next assessment session (for the control group).
Step 4: The participants receiving the treatment had two one hour sessions per week as part of a standardised individual desensitisation programme of between 12 and 15 sessions. In addition to training in techniques of breathing, progressive relaxation and imagination.
Step 5: After 8 weeks, the treatment and control groups came back to retake the questionnaires and simulated video test to see if their fear had declined.

Question 94

What were the conclusions of your contemporary study in classical conditioning?

Answer 94

There was no significant decrease in their fear of flying in the control group whereas there was a significant decrease in the experimental group who nad treatment, thererore systematic desensitisation is an effective treatment for reducing or eradicating fear of flying.
However, they also said that:
Systematic desensitisation was not effective for all participants, as some (10%) participants who were treated
chowed no reduction in fear.
Therefore. SD may not be suitable for everyone. This shows that individual differences will also have an effect on
usefulness of the fear of flying treatment programme.

Question 95

Outline two of the controls used in the procedure for your contemporary study in classical conditioning

Answer 95

• room temperature was maintained at 22.5°C.

* participant sat in an arm chair which was positioned 1.8 metres from a television

Question 96

How many treatment sessions did the participants in the treatment condition receive your contemporary study in classical conditioning?

Answer 96

Between a minimum 12 and maximum 15 sessions.

Question 97

Describe the results of the intragroup analysis for the waiting list in your contemporary study

Answer 97

The data showed no reductions in fear levels for the waiting group - So the mere passing of time did not lead to quantitative changes in the dependent variable measures.
For example fear during flight was 26.05 before and after the 8 week period it was 25.81 showing no real change.

Question 98

Describe the results of the intragroup analysis for both the treatment group in your contemporary study

Answer 98

For the treatment group the tests carried out before and after treatment for the same DVs indicated significant reduction in fear responses both in their self assessment and objective
physiological arousal. Therefore indicating that the treatment is
effective for those with a fear of flying. For example fear of flying significantly reduced from 25.6 to 13.25 after the treatment.

Question 99

Describe the results for the intergroup analysis for the waiting group and treatment groups before and after therapy.

Answer 99

BEFORE THERAPY The waiting control group and the treatment group were similar on the self reported fear levels and the physiological measures before treatment. For example the means of the treatment group in the objective physiological measures were 1.04 and 1.07 in the control group.

AFTER THERAPY Scores were significantly different between each group for almost all variables analysed. Fear of flying for the treatment group was 13.25 whereas for the control group it was 25.81.

Question 100

Give a weakness of generalisability for your contemporary study in classical conditioning

Answer 100

GENERALISABILITY may be limited,. This is becouse the sample size is of 41 participants and only 20 were used in the trealment condition this would be regarded to be a relatively small sample. In addition, the sample was a self-selected, which may be biased: e.g. the people who volunteered may have really wanted to cure their phobia of flying. This makes them different to
other people with fear of flying. Therefore the sample is not representative of all people who have phobias of flying and findings may not be easily generalisable to a larger target population of people with a phobia of flying.
Furthermore, it is questionable whether this study can tell us anything about the effectiveness of SD in treating phobias other than fear of flying.

Question 101

Give a strength of validity for you contemporary study in classical conditioning

Answer 101

Capafóns research has high internal validity in that it uses the scientific method. This is a strength because it allows for excellent control of extraneous variables and increases the scientific credibility of the research. For example objective, quantitative measures such as heart rate and muscle tension allowed precise and accurate physiological measurements of fear. Nevertheless, Ecological validity is lowered by using such controlled
conditions. For example: even though the Ps were told to feel as involved as possible in the video test, it is still an artificial phobic stimulus. A real plane flight may have resulted in very
different measures.

Question 102

What are the applications of your contemporary study for classical conditioning?

Answer 102

This study shows that SD is an effective therapy in helping people who have a fear of flying. This means it could probably be widely applied to help individuals with this phobia. For example British Airways have a SD treatment programme called “flying with confidence” which lasts a full day with a short flight at the end to help people overcome their phobia of flying.