Psychopathology - Behavioural Approach to Explaining Phobias

Question 1

the behavioural approach emphasises the

Answer 1

role of learning in the acquisiition of behaviour

Question 2

the behavioural approach focuses on

Answer 2

behaviour - what we can see

Question 3

what are the 3 key behavioural aspects of phobias

Answer 3

panic

avoidance

endurance

Question 4

what did mowrer 1960 propose

Answer 4

the 2 process model

based on teh behavioural approach to phobias

Question 5

what does the the 2 proces model of the behavioural approach to phobias state

Answer 5

phobias are acquired by classical conditioning and then continue because of operant conditioning

Question 6

ACQUISITION BY CLASSICAL CONDITIONING - explain what classical conditioning involves

Answer 6

learning to associate something of whihc we initially have no fear (neutral stimulus) with something that already triggers a fear response (unconditioned stimulus)

Question 7

Watson and Rayner created a phobia in

Answer 7

9 month old Little albert

Question 8

t/f at the start of the study albert showed no unsual anxiety

and he tried to play with the white rat when shown it

Answer 8

T

Question 9

How did the researchers set out togive albert a phobia

Answer 9

whenever rat was presented to albert

researchers made a loud, frightening noise by banging an iron bar close to alberts ear

Question 10

what was the ucs in the little albert study

Answer 10

noise

Question 11

the noise is the ucs whihc created a

Answer 11

unconditioned response

Question 12

the noise is the ucs whihc created a

Answer 12

unconditioned response of fear

Question 13

the rat was a

Answer 13

neutral stimulus

Question 14

when the rat (ns) and the UCS are encountered close together over time what happens

Answer 14

NS becomes associated with the UCS

and both now produce the fear repsonse

Question 15

albert displayed fear when he saw a

Answer 15

rat (ns )

Question 16

albert now displayed fear when he saw the rat (ns) identify what the conditioned stimulus and conditioned repsonse are now

Answer 16

rat is conditioned/learned stimulus

and it produces a conditioned response of fear

Question 17

conditioning is then generalised to

Answer 17

similar objects

Question 18

from the little albert study how do we know conditioning is generalised to otehr similar objects

Answer 18

they tested albert by showing him other furry objects

e.g non white rabbit ,fur coat

albert showed distress at the sight of all of these

Question 19

from 20 onwards is realted to maintainence by operant condiitoning

all from 6-18 is related to acquisition by classical conditiong

Question 20

repsonses acquired by CC tend to

Answer 20

decline over time

Question 21

responses acquired by cc tend to decline over time but phobias are often

Answer 21

long lasting

Question 22

phobias are often lonf lasting which is due to

Answer 22

operant conditioning

Question 23

when does operant conditioning take place

Answer 23

when behaviour is reinforced (rewarded) or punished

Question 24

what doe reinforcement tend to increase

Answer 24

the frequency of a behaviour

Question 25

t/f negatove and positive reinforcemtn both increase frequency of a behaviour

Answer 25

t

Question 26

explain how negative reinforcement works

Answer 26

indi avoids situation hwihc is unpleasant

this behaviour results ina desirable consequence

which means behaviour will be repeated

Question 27

mowrer suggested that whenever we avoid a phobic stimulus ..

Answer 27

we succesfully escape the fear and anxiety that we would have experienced if we had remained there

reductino in fear reinforces the avoidanec behaviour and so the phobia is maintianed

Question 28

EVAL- strength real world application to therapy

whats the strngth

whta have behaviourist ideas been sed to develop

what do the developmetns do

consequently since therapies succesful how does htis strenghten approa

Answer 28

strength : application to therapy

the behaviourist ideas have been used to develop treatments e.g systematic desensitisation flooding

SD helps people unlearn fears using prinicples of cc , flooding stops people avoiding phobes and stops negatve reinforcement taking place

consequently these therapies succesfully used to treat people w phobias gigiving more support for effectiveness of behaviourtist explanantion

Question 29

EVAL - weakness bio preparedness

what may it not provide full expl of

bouton highlighted

evo psych suggested

what is it called and what does it cast on 2 process model

Answer 29

may not provide full explanation of phobias

bounton highlighted evoluntionary factros could paly role esp if avidance of a particular stimulus (snakes) increased chance of survival for ancestors

consequently evo psychs suggest we predisposed to some phobias e.g snakes as theyre innate than learnt as such phobias acted as survoval mechanims for ancestors

this is called biological preparedness and casts doubt on 2 porcess model snce sugeests theres more to phbias than learning

Question 30

EVAL - strneght phobias and trauma xp

what is there evidence for
what does lil albert show
what did they find in systematic evidence group compared to ctrl group

this confirsm

Answer 30

evidence for lnk between phobias and bad xp

little albert shows how a frightening xp involving stimulus cna lead to phobia of stimmy

more systematic evidence found 73% people with fear of dentla treatment expereinced traunmatic xp mostly involving dentistry - other xp violetn crime

copmared to ctrl grp of people with low dental anxiety where only 21% experieenced a truamtic event

confirm association between stimul( dentistry) and UCR (pain) does lead to development of phobia