Psychopathology: The behavioural approach to explaining phobias Flashcards
What is classical conditioning?
Leaning by association. It occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired together - an unconditioned stimulus and a new neutral stimulus (NS). The neutral stimulus eventually produces the same response that was first produced by the unlearned stimulus alone.
What is operant conditioning?
A form of learning in which behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences. Possible consequences of behaviour include positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and punishment.
Who proposed the two process model of phobias?
Hobart Mowrer (1947)
What is the two process model and what did it state?
It is a two-process model based in the behavioural approach to phobias. This states that phobias are learned in the first place by classical conditioning and are then maintained by operant conditioning.
Explain the first process of the model; acquisition by classical conditioning.
In classical conditioning, leaning happens because an association forms between a neutral stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus until the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned response. In the case of a phobia, we learn to associate something of which we have no fear (the neutral stimulus) with something that already triggers a fear response (an unconditioned stimulus). This fear is then generalised to other similar objects.
What evidence is there to support the idea that phobias can be the learned through classical conditioning?
Watson and Raynor’s Little Albert Study.
Describe the Little Albert study in relation to classical conditioning.
Whenever Albert reached for the white rat a steel drum was struck behind his head creating a loud noise. They paired the rat and the noise 7 times in total over a number of weeks. In this procedure the loud noise is an unconditioned stimulus and Albert’s response (fear/crying) is an unconditioned response. Before conditioning the rat was a neutral stimulus. When the rat (neutral stimulus) and the unconditioned stimulus (noise) are encountered so close together in time the neutral stimulus becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus and both now produce the conditioned response. Findings:
By the third trial Albert showed fear whenever he saw the rat. The rat was now a conditioned stimulus and Albert’s fear of it as a conditioned response. Little Albert also showed distress signs towards other similar furry objects such as cotton wool and a fur coat. This is known as stimulus generalisation.
Explain how a phobia can be maintained by operant conditioning
According to operant conditioning phobias can be negatively reinforced. This is where behaviour is strengthened, because an unpleasant consequence is removed. For example, if a person with a phobia of dogs sees a dog whilst out walking, they might try to avoid the dog by crossing over the road.
How could this behaviour be shown in someone with a phobia of clowns?
They will avoid places where there will be clowns and escape the anxiety that would have been experienced. The relief felt from avoiding clowns negatively reinforces the phobia and ensures it is maintained rather than confronted.
How does social learning relate to the two process model?
Social learning theory is not part of the two-process model but is a neo-behaviourist explanation for phobias. Phobias may be acquired through modelling the behaviour of others. For example, seeing a parent respond to a spider with extreme fear may lead a child to acquire similar behaviour because the behaviour seems rewarding as the fearful person gets attention.
A03: The behavioural Approach (Two-Process Model) as an Explanation of Phobias
+ Objective
+ Practical application
- Reductionist
- Doesn’t always follow a traumatic event
A03: Objective
The behavioural approach to psychopathology is scientific and its key principles can be measured in an objective way. For example, the phobia developed by Little Albert was clear for all to see and measure, and variables could be manipulated and controlled to ensure that Little Albert’s phobia development was a result of a neutral stimulus being associated with an unconditioned response. This is positive because it allows concepts such as classical conditioning to be demonstrated scientifically and has resulted in a large amount of empirical support for behavioural therapies.
A03: Practical application
Has practical application that’s led to the treatments such as flooding, as the client have to be able to accept the fact that they must confront the feared object or thing. The behaviourist approach allowed us to realise that the patient has to reinforce safety to associate with the phobia to overcome it, therefore the behaviourist approach is good in the sense that it can help people to recover.
A03: Reductionist
The behavioural approach/two-process model of phobias can be criticised for being reductionist. For example, the two-process model suggests that complex mental disorders such as phobias are caused solely by our experience of association, rewards and punishment (we learn all abnormalities including phobias). This is a problem because the behavioural approach to explaining phobias can be seen to be too simplistic as it ignores the role of other factors such as our childhood experiences, everyday stressors and the role of biology (e.g. genes, neurotransmitters) in the development of abnormality.
A03: Doesn’t always follow a traumatic event
Some phobias don’t follow a traumatic experience, for example, a person may have a fear of snakes without ever having encountered a snake. This suggests some phobias have not been acquired through learning, weakening this explanation
