explanations of phobias - behavioural approach

Question 1

What is the behavioural approach and why is it used in terms of phobias?

Answer 1

• suggests all behaviours are learned (sometimes called the learning theory)

conditioned= learned behaviour 
unconditioned= unlearned behaviour

Question 2

What is the two process model in explaining how phobias are learned?

Answer 2

• first stage: classical conditioning (learning through association) CAUSES phobia
• second stage: operant conditioning (learning through reinforcement) MAINTAINS phobia

Question 3

How does classical conditioning (learning by association) initiate phobias? (Little Albert)

Answer 3

• Little Albert’s case study demonstrated how phobias can be learned through associating fear to particular objects

UCS (loud noise) = UCR (fear)
NS: white rat
NS associated with UCS = NS turns into a CS
CS + UCS = CR (fear)
This equals a response of fear to the CS (rat), as it is associated with the CR, meaning you have created a phobia

Question 4

What is another example of how classical conditioning causes phobias?

Answer 4

Dog = NS - no fear association 
Being bitten = UCS = fear 
NS + UCS = fear 
because the dog has been associated with the UCS (bite) it because a CS
now: CS = fear (phobia)

Question 5

How does operant conditioning (learning by reinforcement) maintain phobias?

Answer 5

• the likeliness of a behaviour being repeated is increased if the outcome is rewarding

e.g avoiding dogs or escaping a situation involving dogs because you have associated them with fear will reduce the anxiety caused by them, which is rewarding
• Avoidance=reduce of anxiety=rewarding

This is negative reinforcement (taking the bad away)

Question 6

Another explanation for the initiation of phobias is the social learning theory:

outline it

(consider modelling behaviour)

Answer 6

• seeing your parent respond to a spider with extreme fear may lead to you modelling this behaviour
• this is because the parent obtained attention from their response, which seems rewarding, so you may copy them to receive attention too

Question 7

Evaluate the behavioural approach to explaining phobias

Answer 7

(+) Sue et all - supported because people can sometimes remember when their phobia appeared e.g being bitten by a dog in the park -opposes the ‘we were born with phobias’ argument
(-) DIATHESIS STRESS MODEL - not everybody who’s bitten by dogs develops a phobia of them - explained by diathesis-stress model (some people have inherited genetic vulnerability for developing mental disorders which can be triggered by life events, some do not, suggesting a biological explanation)

Question 8

Further evaluation of the behavioural approach to explaining phobias

Answer 8

(+) research support for social learning theory - Bandura and Rosenthal did a study where a ‘model’ acted like they were in pain when a buzzer went off, the participants later showed fear/an emotional reaction to the buzzer
(-) ignores the cognitive explanation for phobias - irrational thinking may trigger phobias e.g in a lift and thinking ‘i could get trapped in here’ may cause anxiety and fear, causing a phobia - may mean that cognitive treatments would be more useful