Explaining Phobias Flashcards

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1
Q

Classical Conditioning Explanation of Phobias

A
  • Phobias created through Classical Conditioning
  • Behaviour is learned through ‘stimulus response’ associations. Event in environment results in physiological reaction.
  • Event and reaction forged into association. Fits in with idea that when someone has a phobia, have had past bad experiences.
  • Example - person climbs to top of building and when looking down(stimulus) they feel sick (response), association develops fear of heights (Neutral stimulus). Avoid situations involving heights.
  • Conditioned response causes the fear.
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2
Q

Research for Classical Conditioning Explanation of Phobias

A
  • Watson and Rayner - Little Albert was 9 months old, tested response to various stimuli, including white rat.
  • Not afraid of rat (NS) , enjoyed its company.
  • Showed a fear response to a loud noise (UCS) caused by hammer hitting an iron bar.
  • At 11 months Watson and Rayner paired the loud noise and white rat and presented it to Little Albert repeatedly.
  • After pairings Little Albert showed fear response to white rat alone (CS) and the fear generalised to fluffy animals.
  • Learned a fear response through classical conditioning.
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3
Q

Operant Conditioning Explanation of Phobias

A
  • Phobias maintained through Operant Conditioning. Also explains avoidance.
  • Behaviour is learned through consequences.
  • Phobia reinforced as stimuli is avoided (negative reinforcement). Leads to avoidance being repeated and phobia being maintained.
  • If person with phobia has severe fear response and gets a lot of attention then this is rewarding. (Positive reinforcement). Leads to maintaining phobia.
  • Facing the phobic stimulus is punishment and facing it in the future is not repeated due to the fear response.
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4
Q

Evaluation of the Behavioural Explanation of Phobias - Tested Scientifically

A
  • lends itself to empirical study.
  • Lab experiments - little Albert has clearly demonstrated the role if learning in conditioning behaviour.
  • Strength - give support.
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5
Q

Evaluation of the Behavioural Explanation of Phobias - importance of classical conditioning

A
  • People with phobias often recall specific incident when phobia appeared.
  • Example - arachnophobics are likely to explain their disorder due to a specific incident with a spider. UCS was when they were bit by the spider and the NS is the spider.
  • Strength - supports role of classical conditioning in many people’s phobias. Theoretically useful.
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6
Q

Evaluation of the Behavioural Explanation of Phobias - Doesn’t account of individual differences

A
  • Example - 2 people may get bitten by dogs but maybe only one of these peoples develops a phobia of dogs although they both have the same experience.
  • Weakness - ignores the mind and individual’s cognitive processes behind behaviour.
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7
Q

Evaluation of the Behavioural Explanation of Phobias - No experience needed

A
  • Doesn’t explain why people have phobias but they have never experienced the actual object.
  • Lots of British people have phobias of snakes even though most of them have never actually come across one. Keuthen found that half of all phobia sufferers in a sample couldn’t remember any unpleasant experiences relating to the phobic object.
  • Weakness - doesn’t provide an explanation for many people’s phobias.
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8
Q

Evaluation of the Behavioural Explanation of Phobias - Determinisitc

A
  • Does not acknowledge any choice or cognitive processes involved with developing a phobia.
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9
Q

Evaluation of the Behavioural Explanation of Phobias - Reductionist

A
  • Simplifies complex behaviour to a simple explanation.
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