Psychopathology - the behavioural approach to explaining phobias Flashcards
What is the behavioural approach?
Behaviourism (theory of learning) states all behaviours are learnt through interaction with the environment (conditioning)
What is classical conditioning?
Learning through association
What is the famous research associated with classical conditioning?
Pavlov’s salivating dogs (paired bell with food so association of bell with response of pleasure brought by food)
Watson’s little Albert
(paired white rat with loud bang so association of white rat with response of fear)
What is operant conditioning?
Learning through consequences
What is the famous research associated with operant conditioning?
Skinner’s boxes (rats and pigeons) used positive and negative reinforcement
When animal pushed button, box delivers food (positive reinforcement) or a noise (negative reinforcement)
What is Mowrer’s (1960) two process model?
Used learning theory to propose the behavioural explanation of phobias
- Phobias are acquired or initiated through classical conditioning (learn by association)
- Phobias are maintained through operant conditioning (learn/reinforce by consequence)
Meaning of unconditional:
Automatic and not learnt
Meaning of conditioned:
learnt through pairing
Meaning of stimuli:
Something in the external environment
Meaning of response:
A reaction to something
How are phobias initiated through classical conditioning?
An unconditioned stimuli (UCS - like being bitten) creates an unconditioned response (UCR - of fear). When a neutral stimulus (NS - a dog) is associated with the UCS (being bitten) through pairing and has been conditioned, the now conditioned stimulus (CS - dog) produces the UCR (fear) on its own
What study demonstrated phobias are learnt through classical conditioning?
Little Albert - Watson (1920)
Conditioned to associated the NS of white rat with UCS of loud noise to elicit UCR of fear. Rat became CS and elicits the CR of fear on its own.
Phobia further generalised to other furry white objects
How are phobias maintained?
Operant conditioning (behaviour is reinforced - likelihood of behaviour being repeated is increased if outcome is rewarding)
Person avoids feared object to reduce anxiety (escapes unpleasant feeling fear) and is being rewarded for avoidance (negative reinforcement). Means avoidance behaviour will be repeated
Positive reinforcement
Adding a desirable stimulus after a behavior to increase the likelihood of that behavior being repeated
Negative reinforcement
Removing or preventing an unpleasant stimulus, leading to increase likelihood of that behavior occurring again
