P - The behavioural approach to explaining phobias Flashcards
Who came up with the Two-process model?
Orval Hobart Mowrer (1947)
What model did Orval Hobart Mowrer (1947) come up with to explain phobias?
Two-process model.
In brief, what does the two-process model explain about phobias?
How they are learned.
What are the 2 stages/processes in the two-process model?
1st stage is classical conditioning.
2nd stage is operant conditioning.
What is the purpose of the classical conditioning step in the two-process model?
Initiation.
What is the purpose of the operant conditioning step in the two-process model?
Maintenance.
How does the two-process model suggest phobias are acquired?
They are acquired through association.
Explain using the Little Albert study and the Two-Process model how phobias are learned in the classical conditioning stage
The UCS was a loud noise and the UCR was fear. By pairing the loud noise with they furry object (the NS), the furry object acquired the same properties as the UCS and produced the response of fear, now called a CR because it is the learned response. The furry object is now a CS. When Albert saw a white furry rat he cried, presumably because the object was now associated with fear.
Why was little Albert’s phobia for all white furry things?
Because it had generalised.
What in the two-process model suggests why individuals continue to feel fearful or why they continue to avoid the feared object in phobias?
Operant conditioning.
How does operant conditioning explain the maintenance of fear in phobias?
The likelihood of a behaviour being repeated is increased if the outcome is rewarding. In the case of a phobia, the avoidance of (or escape from) the phobic stimulus reduces fear and is thus reinforcing - negative reinforcement (escaping from an unpleasant situation).
In operant conditioning, when are behaviours most likely to be repeated?
If the outcome is rewarding.
How does social learning theory explain phobias and how they are formed?
Observational learning - identify with the role model; watch their actions.
Modelling - imitate phobic behaviours of role models.
Vicarious reinforcement - indirect reward through seeing a role model’s successful avoidance.
Who carried out a study on phobias?
John B. Watson with Rosalie Rayner (1920).
Explain Watson’s Little Albert study of phobias:
Aim - to provide empirical evidence that human emotional responses could be learned through classical conditioning.
Procedure:
- Lab experiment with 1 ppt (11 month old boy who lived in the hospital where his mum was a nurse). He was presented with various stimuli, including a white rate, a rabbit and some cotton wool, and his responses were filmed. He showed no fear reaction to any stimuli.
- A fear reaction was then induced into Albert by striking a steel bar with a hammer behind his head. This startled him, making him cry. He was then given a white rat to play with, of which he was not scared. As he reached to touch the rat, the bar and hammer were struck to frighten him. This procedure was repeated 3 times. Variations of these conditioning techniques continued for 3 months.
Findings:
- Subsequently, when shown the rat, he would cry, roll over and crawl away. He had developed a fear towards the white rate, which he also displayed with less intensity to other white furry objects, like a white fur coat and Santa beard - this is known as generalisation.
Conclusions:
- Conditioned emotional responses, including love, fear and phobias, are acquired as a direct result of environmental experiences, which can transfer and persist, possibly indefinitely, unless removed by counter-conditioning.
