phobias

Question 1

who created the Two-process model to explain acquisition and maintenance of phobias?

Answer 1

Mowrer 1960

Question 2

what does the two-process model state about phobias?

Answer 2

they are acquired through classical conditioning
they are maintained through operant conditioning

Question 3

what happens to a phobia if operant conditioning isn’t maintained?

Answer 3

the phobia will gradually decline until it is no longer a phobia.

Question 4

what are the evaluation points for the behavioural explanation for phobia acquisition and maintenance?

Answer 4

1. good explanatory power
2. alternative explanations for avoidance behaviour(may not just be for anxiety reduction such as in phobias such as agoraphobia)
   3.may be limited as doesn’t take into account biology(bounton)
   4.sometimes phobias are not linked to trauma this contradicts classical conditioning
3. phobias that don’t follow trauma are orientated towards behaviour rather than cognition. behavioural explanation doesn’t take cognition into approach which makes it reductionist.

Question 5

what are the two types of phobia treatment

Answer 5

1.flooding
2. systematic desensitisation

Question 6

what is systematic desensitisation?

Answer 6

systematic desenitisation is a method to treat phobias that uses counter conditioning to unlearn maladaptive behaviour to a situation, by eliciting a different response.

Question 7

what is flooding?

Answer 7

it is a method of treating phobias by exposing the patient to the most frightening situation straight away.

Question 8

what are the components of systematic desensitisation?

Answer 8

a fear hierarchy: a list of your most frightening aspect of your phobic stimulus
relaxation training: techniques to calm patient down
exposure: exposing the patient to frightening situations

Question 9

what is the evaluation for desensitisation?

Answer 9

1.is acceptable to patients (there is less trauma)
2. is research support: Gilroy et al 42 patients given 3 sessions of 45 minutes at both 3 and 33 months patients treated with SD less fearfull than control group
3. suitable for a wide range of patients such as patients with learning difficulties

Question 10

what is the evaluation of flooding?

Answer 10

1. more cost effective than other techniques (Ougrin)
   2.doesn’t work for some patients such as patients with learning difficulties
2. is traumatic (may not complete the therapy)
3. could be argued that it subsitutes one symptom for another one
4. doesn’t work for some phobias such as ones with cognitive aspects