Psychopathology- acquisition of phobias Flashcards
What did Mowrer propose
A two process model that suggests phobias are ACQUIRED through CLASSICAL conditioning and then MAINTAINED through OPERANT conditioning.
What does classical conditioning propose about phobias
That they are a conditioned emotional response, resulting from an association being made between two stimuli
If someone was to have a phobia of dogs, when they acquired this phobia what were the following
UCS
NS
UCR
CS
CR
NS- dog
UCS- dog bite
UCR- fear
CS- dog
CR- fear
How does avoidance maintain a phobia
As avoiding the phobic stimulus reduces anxiety and can be seen as REINFORCING.
What type of reinforcing can avoidance be seen as and why
Negative
The behaviour becomes increased (avoidance) because it removes something unpleasant (confronting phobic stimulus)
What is stimulus generalisation
When this anxiety can become generalised to all similar objects/situations.
How may someone with a phobia of dogs experience stimulus generalisation
They may avoid all dogs and places were dogs may be.
What is high order conditioning
When a neutral stimuli becomes linked to a conditioned stimuli
i.e someone scared of dogs is now scared of dog parks
What did Watson and Rayner do to little Albert
showed Albert a white rat which he was unafraid (NS)
They repeatedly ( 7 times) paired the rat (NS) with a loud noise (UCS) which caused fear (UCR)
Eventually, on trial 8, Albert began to show fear (CR) to the white rat (CS) alone.
How many pairings did it take for Albert to show fear of the white rat
On trial 8, Albert showed fear
Evaluating the learning account for phobias
-evidence from Watson and Rayner
There is research to support the learning approach of phobias form Watson + Rayner (1920) showed Albert a white rat which he was unafraid (NS)
They repeatedly ( 7 times) paired the rat (NS) with a loud noise (UCS) which caused fear (UCR)
Eventually, on trial 8, Albert began to show fear (CR) to the white rat (CS) alone.
I.e. they had conditioned a fear response / phobia
This suggests that the learning approach for phobias can be backed up by strong evidence, giving it further credit.
Evaluating the learning account for phobias
-Issues with practical applications
However, the explanation is significantly weakened by the fact that not all incidences of trauma result in subsequent phobias.
This suggests there are elements of cognition that mediate the onset of phobia development as some people experience traumatic events and do not have phobias.
For instance, many people may have a traumatic incident with a wasp yet do not develop phobias
This implies that the learning account of phobias is incomplete and has problems applying to real life
Evaluating the learning account for phobias
-practical applications
Using this knowledge we can treat phobias successfully.
E.g. Systematic desensitisation involves using classical conditioning to create new positive associations between a previously feared CS
i.e. to show relaxation and calm with the previously feared item
This is often very successful in treating phobias and helps reduce distress for many patients
Evaluating the learning account for phobias
-environmentally reductionist
The concept that complex and deliberating behaviour like phobias can be reduced down to simple stimulus/response reactions could be breaking the behaviour down too much
For example, this would neglect to consider cognitive reasons for the onset of phobias as well as imitating powerful role models (e.g. parents
Hence, the 2 process model of phobias may provide an incomplete explanation of phobias
Evaluating the learning account for phobias
-scientific
The explanation of phobias is based on very scientific principles
The 2 process model is based on objective and reliable data. It focuses exclusively on the behavioural characteristics of phobias which are open to observation e.g. Little Alberts avoidance of the white rat
This means the explanation offers a scientific and more trustworthy account of phobias
