Explaining Phobias

Question 1

What it it?

Answer 1

Types of anxiety disorder
Affects daily living, and can prevent them from achieving both daily and long-term goals

Question 2

Types of Phobias

Answer 2

Simple Phobia- Animal, situational
Social Phobia- Extreme anxiety in social situations
Agoraphobia- Fear of leaving home or safe space

Question 3

Behavioural characteristics

Answer 3

-Freezing/fainting
-Panic attacks
- Staying at home

Question 4

Emotional characteristics

Answer 4

-Anxiety
-Feeling vulnerable
-feelings of dread

Question 5

Cognitive characteristics

Answer 5

-Panic attacks
-Difficulty concentrating
-Reduced psychological functioning

Question 6

Behavioural approach in explaining phobias

Answer 6

Phobia is learn from the environment
Classical conditioning- association
Operant conditioning- consequences
Social learning- vicarious learning

Question 7

Classical conditioning

Answer 7

Associating a stimulus with a response
-Unconditioned and Conditioned stimuli
-Neutral stimuli
-Unconditioned and Conditioned responses

Question 8

Operant conditioning

Answer 8

Learn through consequences
Positive reinforcement- Behaviour occurrence increases
Negative reinforcement- Behaviour occurrence decreases

Question 9

Social learning

Answer 9

Learn by the consequences of other peoples behaviour
Vicarious reinforcement- If behaviour is awarded, more likely to repeat

Question 10

The two process model

Answer 10

According to the behavioural approach there is two processes in the development of phobia
Acquisition- occurs directly through classical conditioning and indirectly through social learning
Maintenance- occurs through operant conditioning, specifically negative reinforcement

Question 11

Case of little albert

Answer 11

Aim
-Provide evidence that emotional response can be learnt through classical conditioning
Conclusion
-Conditioned emotional response are acquired as a direct result of environmental experiences

Question 12

Evaluation of the Behavioural Approach

Answer 12

+ Excellent at explaining phobias
+ Has led to very successful therapies
+Research support
+ Behaviour can be measured and observed and can be tested scientifically
- Ignores thought process
- Not good at explaining phobias that are likely to result from evolution
- Cannot explain phobic behaviour that has been reinforced