Phobias

Question 1

What is a phobia?

Answer 1

A fear only becomes a phobia when it negatively impacts on a person’s everyday life.

Question 2

What are behavioural characteristics of phobias?

Answer 2

Categorised by avoidance behaviours.
Fight or flight response will be evident when confronted by the phobic object or situation.

Question 3

What are emotional characteristics of phobias?

Answer 3

Intense fear and emotional upset.
Become visibly distressed at the sight or thought of the phobic object or situation.

Question 4

What are cognitive characteristics of phobias?

Answer 4

They have obsessive thoughts even though they realise the fear is irrational.

Question 5

How do behaviourists see phobias?

Answer 5

They see them as learnt behaviours, acquired through classical conditioning and social learning.

Question 6

Who did research on classical conditioning?

Answer 6

Watson and Rayner

Question 7

Explain the Little Albert study.

Answer 7

UCS (noise) = UCR (fear)
UCS (noise) + NS (rat) = UCR (fear)
CS (rat) = CR (fear)

Question 8

What does operant conditioning suggest?

Answer 8

Avoidance of the phobic object/situation is reinforced because of the reduced anxiety that avoidance results in.

Question 9

What is the Two-Way Process Theory?

Answer 9

Argues that phobias are acquired through classical conditioning but are then maintained through operant conditioning.

Question 10

Evaluate the behaviourist explanation for phobias.

Answer 10

+It uses scientific methods to study human behaviour.
Well controlled experimental conditions.

-Does not consider a wide range of factors that impact on human behaviours.
Phobias are more than just learnt (biological genetics). Not comprehensive, can’t explain all phobias.

+Lead to the development of real world therapies (flooding, systematic desensitisation).
Has real world applications.

Question 11

What do behavioural therapies aim to change?

Answer 11

Specific behaviours

Question 12

What does behaviour therapy assume?

Answer 12

Phobias are learnt by classical conditioning and can be removed by counterconditioning (unlearing).

Question 13

What is ‘reciprocal inhibition’?

Answer 13

Not possible to be afraid and relaxed at the same time.

Question 14

What are two behavioural therapies?

Answer 14

1. Systematic desensitisation
2. Flooding

Question 15

Explain systematic desensitisation.

Answer 15

Step 1- Relaxation techniques.
Step 2- Construct a fear hierarchy.
Step 3- Confront each step in fear hierarchy whilst in a state of deep relaxation.

Question 16

Explain ‘flooding’.

Answer 16

-Immediate exposure to the fear, no build up.
-Leads to the extinction of the fear because the fear can’t last forever as the person would become exhausted.

Question 17

Give advantages of behaviourist treatments of phobias.

Answer 17

+Flooding is effective and cheap.
Very cost effective treatments. However SD takes a long time, the many sessions may end up having implications for the economy.

+Supporting evidence from Gilroy for its effectiveness.

Question 18

Give a disadvantage of behaviourist treatments of phobias.

Answer 18

-Flooding can be a highly unpleasant experience.
Can raise ethical issues, not protecting participants.
Flooding has a higher dropout rate than SD.