Explaining phobias

Question 1

What is the behaviourist approach to explaining phobias?

Answer 1

Association - (classical conditioning) - acquisition of phobia.
Consequences - (operant conditioning) - maintenance of phobias

Question 2

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 2

Learning through association. Pairing a neutral stimulus with a response that creates an association between the two to create a conditioned stimulus. For example, getting bitten by a dog, then associating the pain of the bite with all dogs.

Question 3

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 3

Learning via consequences. This refers to positive reinforcement (reward makes the behaviour increase) and negative reinforcement (taking away the unpleasant experience that makes the behaviour increase)

Question 4

What is stimulus generalisation?

Answer 4

Can occur when anxiety can be generalised to all similar objects/situations.

Question 5

What is higher order conditioning?

Answer 5

If a person avoids all phobic objects and associated situations this ultimately reduces their fear through negative reinforcement because now related situations have been associated with the phobic object.

Question 6

Is there research evidence to support the behaviourist approach to explaining phobias?

Answer 6

Watson and Raynor’s Little Albert study found it was possible to condition a baby to fear a white rat by pairing it with a loud noise.
Also conditioned to fear all white furry things.
Supporting research to give an element of validity to theory.

Question 7

Is the behaviourist approach to explaining phobias flawed?

Answer 7

Not all incidents of trauma result in phobias.
Some elements of cognition mediate the onset of phobia development.
Many people get stung by wasps but do not have a phobia of wasps.

Question 8

Are there practical applications from the behaviourist approach to explain phobias?

Answer 8

Two process model: systematic desensitisation and flooding.
Stops the avoidance behaviour as the fear cannot be maintained.

Question 9

Is the behaviourist approach to explain phobias environmentally reductionist?

Answer 9

It has been reduced down to simple stimulus/response from the complex behaviour.
Evolutionary explanations are ignored as some fears, such as the dark, used to keep us alive.

Question 10

Are there alternative explanation to the behaviourist explanation of phobias?

Answer 10

Biological preparedness may be a better explanation.
Learning does not account for the fact that fears promoted survival.
Fear of some elements would ensure we keep safe (fear of snakes, spiders, the dark etc)

Question 11

Is the behaviourist explanation of phobias scientific?

Answer 11

Two processes based on objective reliable data that focuses exclusively on behaviour.
The Little Albert study could be objectively observed.
Explanation offers scientific and trustworthy account.