psychopathology - explaining and treating phobias Flashcards
What is the two-process model?
- Developed by Mowrer - suggests that phobias are acquired through learning.
- Phobias are initially learned through classical conditioning, and maintained through operant conditioning.
How are phobias acquired through classical conditioning?
An unpleasant emotion is paired with a stimulus, then the two become associated with each other through conditioning.
e.g. child being bitten by dog associates unpleasant feeling of pain with dog.
How are phobias maintained through operant conditioning?
Operant conditioning is learning through rewards/punishments.
the person avoids the phobic stimulus, and gains a reward for doing so.
e.g. person avoids dogs and doesn’t get the unpleasant feeling of fear.
Maintains phobia as feared association is never unlearned.
Evaluate the two process model - therapy
This model has had real life application.
It has been useful in developing therapies, as it explains that to overcome fear, person must be exposed to phobic stimulus.
This has lead to many successful therapies being developed, such as SD and flooding, which strengthens the explanation.
Evaluate the two process model - no traumatic experience
Some phobias don’t follow a traumatic experience.
For example, someone could have a phobia of snakes without ever having seen a snake. The two-process model would suggest an association had to be made and the fear would be learned, but this is evidently not true.
These phobias have not been acquired through learning, which weakens the explanation.
evaluate the two process model - evolution
we may be biologically predisposed to fear some things e.g. snakes, which would give us a survival advantage.
so some phobias may be ‘hard-wired’, not learnt.
phobias of guns and cars, which are a threat to humans today, are very rare. this may be because they were not present in humans’ evolutionary past.
this weakens behavioural explanation.
What is systematic desensitisation?
Treatment of phobias based on principles of conditioning, and the idea that it is not possible for two opposite emotions e.g. anxiety and relaxation, to co-exist. This is called reciprocal inhibition.
- First, ‘target behaviour’ is set (e.g. be able to touch snake.)
- Second, relaxation techniques are taught (reciprocal inhibition.)
- Third, anxiety hierarchy drawn up. Lowest anxiety-provoking task will be at bottom of hierarchy, highest anxiety-provoking task will be at top.
Therapist and client work their way up hierarchy. Once no anxiety is felt at step, moves onto next step, finishing with target behaviour.
Evaluation of SD - drop out rates
Patients are likely to engage with SD, as it doesn’t seem like too daunting of a treatment.
This is shown in the low drop out rates of the treatment.
Therefore it is an effective treatment for a lot of people, as they are more likely to see it through to their end goal.
evaluation of SD - spiders
Gilroy found SD was effective in treating spider phobias.
He compared effectiveness of treating spider phobia with SD vs relaxation treatments alone (control). Found that treatment does work.
Evaluation of SD - learning difficulties
SD can be used on many patients as it applies basic behavioural techniques.
e.g. people with learning difficulties who would find flooding too distressing.
Means it is available to wide range of patients, increasing its usefulness.
What is flooding?
Treatment for phobias where person goes straight to target behaviour without build up e.g. being in room full of spiders.
Person will stay in environment until they see phobic stimulus will not cause harm - humans can not stay in extreme anxiety indefinitely.
They will unlearn feared association.
Evaluation of flooding - quick
Flooding can work very quickly, potentially in under an hour.
This can save people time and money as they do not have to go to many therapy sessions to get results, as they would with systematic desensitisation.
Strength as is a useful treatment with good real life applications.
Evaluation of flooding - traumatic
The experience of flooding is very traumatic for patients.
They may give consent, but will experience extreme anxiety, which could be seen as unethical.
Also, this means treatment would not be suitable for people with learning difficulties, which reduces usefulness of treatment.
Evaluation of flooding - cognitive phobias
Some phobias have cognitive elements e.g. fear of public speaking, where people are not scared of a material thing, they are scared they will say something wrong.
This may not be treatable by flooding, which weakens this treatment.
Outline a study that supports the behaviourist explanation of phobias
- Little Albert
- Was introduced to a rat - showed no fear response.
- Rat was paired with hitting a large metal pole behind a child’s head, which scared the child.
- The rat then produced a fear response in Little
