Lecture 6 - theories and concepts Flashcards
Two-Stage Theory of Fear Acquisition (Mowrer, 1947)
This theory explains that fears are acquired through classical conditioning (where a neutral stimulus is paired with a fearful event) and maintained through operant conditioning (where avoidance behaviors are reinforced because they reduce fear).
A person who was bitten by a dog may develop a fear of dogs (classical conditioning) and avoid dogs afterward to reduce anxiety (operant conditioning), which reinforces the avoidance behavior.
Preparedness Theory (Seligman, 1971)
Suggests that humans are biologically predisposed to quickly develop fears of certain stimuli that posed evolutionary threats, such as snakes or heights.
A person may develop a phobia of snakes even with limited exposure because humans are evolutionarily “prepared” to fear snakes due to survival advantages in ancient environments.
Environmental Pathways in Fear Learning
Describes how children acquire fears through direct experiences, observing others (modeling), or through verbal warnings (instructional learning).
A child might develop a fear of swimming after watching a sibling struggle in the water (modeling) or after hearing parents repeatedly warn them about drowning (instructional learning).
Indirect Pathways of Fear Learning
Refers to learning fear through vicarious experiences, such as observing someone else’s fear response or being told about a danger without direct exposure.
A child learns to fear dogs by watching a friend scream and run away from a barking dog, even if the child has never been bitten.
Direct Pathways of Fear Learning
Refers to learning fear from personal experience, typically after directly encountering a fear-inducing event.
A person develops a fear of swimming after personally experiencing a near-drowning incident in a pool.
Social Fear Learning (Rachman, 1977)
Explains how fears are learned through social means, such as observing fearful reactions in others or being warned verbally about dangers.
A child becomes afraid of storms after seeing their parents panic during heavy thunderstorms, even though they have never experienced harm from a storm.
Tripartite Model of Fear (Lang, 1979)
This model suggests that fear involves three interconnected components:
1. behavioral (actions like avoidance)
2. physiological (bodily responses like increased heart rate)
3. cognitive (fear-related thoughts or beliefs).
A person with a fear of public speaking may avoid presentations (behavioral), experience sweating and trembling (physiological), and think “I’ll embarrass myself” (cognitive).
Behavioral Inhibition (BI)
A temperament trait where children exhibit wariness and avoidance of unfamiliar situations or people, often linked to a higher likelihood of developing anxiety disorders later in life.
A child who avoids playing with new children at the park or hides behind their parents when meeting new people may display behavioral inhibition.
Modelling/Vicarious Learning
Learning through observing the fearful reactions of others and adopting similar fears without directly experiencing the feared event.
A child who watches their sibling scream and run away from a dog may develop a similar fear of dogs, despite never having been attacked by one.
Extinction Learning
The process through which a conditioned fear response is gradually reduced when the feared stimulus is repeatedly presented without any negative outcome.
Someone with a fear of heights repeatedly exposes themselves to high places without incident, leading to a gradual reduction in fear over time.
Avoidance Learning
A learning process where individuals learn to avoid feared stimuli to prevent anxiety or distress, which reinforces avoidance and maintains the fear.
A person with social anxiety avoids attending parties to prevent the discomfort of social interactions, reinforcing their fear and preventing them from confronting and overcoming it.
