>psychopathology - phobias - explanations

Question 1

explain classical conditioning in brief:

Answer 1

before conditioning:
NS -> NR
UCS -> UCR
during conditioning:
NS + UNS -> UNR
after conditioning:
CS -> CR

Question 2

little albert case study?

Answer 2

-little albert developed a phobia of white rats, 9 months old
-he associated white rat with unconditioned loud noise
-(explained using classical conditioning model)
-this was generalised to similar objects eg santas beard

Question 3

operant conditioning:

Answer 3

-classical conditioning explains how phobias are acquired but not maintained
-negative reinforcement is linked to how phobias are maintained: when a person has a phobia, they avoid it, this takes negative feeling of anxiety + fear away
-negatively reinforces behaviour + maintains it

Question 4

operant conditioning table:

Answer 4

reinforcement. punishment
positive. adding pleasant removing adverse stimulus
stimulus -> maintain/. to decrease behaviour
increase behaviour
negative. adding adverse stimulus removing pleasant stimulus
-> maintain/increase to decrease behaviour
behaviour

Question 5

describe 2 process model:

Answer 5

-Mowrer developed to describe how behavioural approach explains phobias
1. phobia acquired through classical (association) conditioning
2. phobia maintained through operant (consequence) conditioning

Question 6

advantages of phobias?

Answer 6

-real life application, explains why people need to be exposed to their phobias to prevent reinforcement, behavioural therapies have been developed based on 2 process model
-empirical research support from Watson + Raynor

Question 7

disadvantages of behavioural explanation?

Answer 7

-sometimes patients with phobias do not recall specific event/trigger for their phobia, but often people cannot recall such an incident
-alternative explanations eg biological preparedness
-not all people who suffer a traumatic event develop a phobia