P2- Flooding Flashcards
1
Q
Flooding also involves…
A
Flooding also involves exposing phobic patients to their phobic stimulus but without a gradual build up in an anxiety hierarchy. Instead there is immediate exposure to a frightening situation. An arachnophobia might have a large spider crawl over them for an extended period.
2
Q
Why does flooding work?
A
It works because without the option of avoidance behaviour, the patient quickly learns that the phobic stimulus is harmless. This process is knows as extinction - a learned response is extinguished when the conditioned stimulus (e.g. a dog) is encountered without the unconditioned stimulus (being bitten).
