Psychpath- Behaviourist approach of phobias Flashcards
Define what Phobias are
A group of mental disorders characterised by high levels of anxiety in response to a stimuli or a group of stimulus
What does DSM-V stand for
Diagnostic and statistical manual of Mental Disorders
name and explain the 3 types of phobia categories
example clues below
1- Ani_____ or Fly___
2- P____ sp______ or toi____ in pu_____
3- bei__ o_______
1- Specific Phobia= Phobia of an object (animal), or a situation (flying or injections)
2- Social Phobia (social anxiety)= Phobia of a social situation (public speaking) or (using toilets in public spaces)
3- Agoraphobia= Phobia of being outside or in a public space
Name and explain the three categories of ‘characteristics of phobias’
- Emotional- how a person feels
- Behavioural - how a person acts
- Cognitive- how a person thinks
In the ‘Emotional’ category of ‘characteristics of phobias’
Name and explain the two sub topics in that category
1- Anxiety and Fear
Fear is an immediate experience when you encounter the phobia you have. After that, they have severe anxiety to that phobic stimulus.
2- Their responses are unreasonable
Their response is disproportionate to the threat posed, for example an arachnophobia will have a strong emotional response to a tiny spider.
In the ‘cognitive’ category of ‘characteristics of phobias’
Name and explain the three sub topics in that category
1- Selective attention to the phobic stimulus:
They find it hard to look away from the phobic stimulus (can’t concentration when there’s a bearded man in the room, if they have Pogonophobia
2- Irrational thinking:
Social phobias may involve belieds such as ‘I must always sound intelligent’
3- cognitive distortions:
perception of a phobia is worse than what it is
In the ‘Behavioural’ category of ‘characteristics of phobias’
Name and explain the three sub topics in that category
1- Panic
A range of behaviours such as: screaming, crying, running away from the phobic stimulus
2- Avoidance
Considerable effort to avoid to coming into contact iwth the phobic stimulus, which some means its hard to go about everyday life (public places)
3- Endurance
When the sufferer remains in presence of the phobia- so remain suffering with high levels of anxiety
How do the behaviourist approach explain Phobias, they have 3 main opinions
1- O___ t__ b_______ is im_______- focus on ex______ b______ as sym_____ of m_____ i______
2- A________ beh_________ are lea____ through co________ or s____ lear____- e.g. ph____ and an_____
3- The en_____m___ can rei_____ mal_______ b______- E.G. some people i
with d________ dra_ sym_____ and a______ti__ from ot___
Behaviourist opinion 1- Only the behaviour is important- so behaviourists focus on external behaviours ( excessive hand washing) as a symptom of mental illness
Behaviourist opinion 2- Abnormal behaviours are learned through conditioning or social learning- for example phobias and anxiety
Behaviourist opinion 3- The environment can reinforce the maladaptive behavior- For example, some people with depression draw sympathy and attention from others
Explain classical conditioning
Before conditioning
when paired the UCS creates an UCR
NS creates NoResponse (NR)
During conditioning
The UCS is paired with the NS to form an UCR
As time goes on it eventually after conditioning: The NS becomes the CS so the CS creates the CR
Name the 3 main features of the behaviourist approach, and then the model which uses two of the features
1-Classical conditioning through initiation
2. Operant conditioning through maintenance
3- Social learning theory
The two-process model by Orval Hobart Mowrer 1947
Explain Classical Conditioning through initiation (how you develop the phobia in the first place) using the example of ‘Little Albert’ by Watson and Rayner
A phobia is formed from association
Watson and Wayner showed how fear can be conditioned into ‘Little Albert’
1- He played the the rat NS, then a loud noise UCS was made close to his ear, causing a feared response UCR
2- The rat NS wasn’t feared until it was paired to the loud noise multiple times
3- Which led to Alebert seeing the rat CS and then showed a fear response CR
out of the 3 reinforcements used in Operant conditioning, which one is used in phobias
Explain Operant Conditioning through Maintenance from using reinforcement (how the phobia is maintained)
Using n________ rei__________ is how p_____ are ma_______, so when an indiv produces b______- that a_____s something that’s unp______, they escape the an____ that occurs with a ph___ st______. This means that this reduction in fear ne_____ reinforces the av_____ beha_____ that occurs, meaning the phobia is m_______
Negative reinforcement (removing fear)
Using negative reinforcement is how phobias are maintained, so when an individual produces behaviour that avoids something that’s unpleasant, is means that they escape the anxiety that occurs with a phobic stimulus. This means that this reduction in fear negatively reinforces the avoidance behaviour that occurs, meaning the phobia is maintained.
Explain how the SLT forms phobias and what other process children use which develops the phobic behaviour
SLT in phobias is when the primary caregiver expresses a fear to something, such as a spider. Then thier child learns that spiders are things to be severely afraid of, eventhough they have never has any past trauma with a spider.
Mediational processes: attention, retention, motivation, reproduction
People learn a phobic behaviour by observing others
Explain what model Mowrer 1947 developed
1st stage of how phobias are developed (acquired) is through _________
and the 2nd stage is how phobias are maintained through ___________
the two-process model was how phobia’s were developed (acquired) through association and maintained through reinforcement.
He used this to explain how phobias are learned: 1st stage is classical conditioning and 2nd stage is operant conditioning.
Both are needed to explain how phobias are developed orginally and then how phobias are continued.
what are the 1 strength and weaknesses of classical conditioning
strength is that it is a powerful way to learn and produce an unconscious response
weakness is that it isn’t a complete explanation by itself, because it has to rely of operant to explain how phobias are maintained
what are the 1 strength and weaknesses of operant conditioning
s- RS eg….
w- ign____ cog____ p____
strength is that is it reliable because there’s research support, such as Skinners rats
weakness is that it ignores the cognitive processes
what are the 1 strength and weaknesses of SLT
s- RS eg…..
w-in______ exp_____
strength is that there’s research suppport for example, Bandura and Resenthal
weakness is it’s an incomplete explanation for all phobias
what are the 1 strength and weaknesses of two-process model
s- high v____ as theres RS
w- not all p____ can be exp_____ using this theory e.g. tra___ phobias
strength is that it has high validity because because of research evidence (Albert) which supports the model
weakness is that not all phobias can be explained (trauma phobias) which means it lacks reliability
What other thing did Mowrer research into, apart from the two-process model
He also looked into Behavioural Treatments
List the two things Behavioural Treatments aims to do
- c______ -__________
- no option ____ ___________ __________
- Counter-conditioning- by reducing phobic anxiety through classical conditioning where a new response of relaxation is paired tot he phobic stimulus, instead of anxiety
2.No option for avoidance behaviour- by reducing phobic anxiety through operant conditioning where they simply can’t avoid the phobic stimulus
Name the 1st Behaviourist treatment for phobias
and the name of the researcher
Systematic Desensitisation SD
Wople 1958
Explain how the 1st treatment of phobias works and the 2 key terms it uses
Systematic Desensitisation is a treatment of phobias based on classical conditioning, which replaces fear with relaxation through (key words) counter-conditioning and reciprocal inhibition.
The therapy aims to gradually reduce anxiety, before this the CS produces fear which is the CR, so this treatment pairs the CS with relaxation which becomes the new CR.
Reciprocal Inhibition is one of the 2 key words in SD but what does it mean
Reciprocal Inhibition means that it is impossible to feel two emotions at once, so no-one can be afraid and relaxed at once, so one emotion prevents the other, but through this therapy we can over time get relaxation to prevent anxiety/fear when they come in contact with the phobic stimulus
Explain the three processes involved in Systematic Desensitisation (specific key words must be used)
- The Anxiety Hierarchy is constructed by the patient and the therapist. This is a Stepped approach to getting the person to face their phobia (object or situation) from the least to the most frightening (picture to holding it)
- The patient is trained in Relaxation Techniques, so that they can relax quickly and as deeply as possible.
- The patient is then gradually exposed tot he phobic stimulus whilst practicing the relaxation techniques as feelings of tension and anxiety arise. When this has been achieved they continue up the anxiety hierarchy.
But they can only move up, if they are completely relaxed.
Key words: Anxiety hierarchy, relaxation techniques, stepped approach
Using an example of spiders, explain a few steps on the stepped approach up the anxiety hierarchy
- think about spider- look at photo of spider- in a closed box look at a spider- hold the box- let the spider be on the table out the box- spider on you
List the 4 researchers who did SD research
1924 J____ rabbits/ peters
1_66 Ger___
1_90 K_____
1_98 R________
t v
1924 Jones- eradicated Little peters phobia of white fluffy objects, as he overcame a rabbit, which generalised to every other white fluffy thing
1966 Gertz
1990 Kloako
1998 Rothbaum - Reported of virtual reality exposure therapy, this helped more phobias like public spaces because it was in a therapists office and not in real world
temporal validity
Name the 2nd behaviourist treatment for phobias
explain what happens using key terms
Flooding
involves overwhelming the individuals senses with the phobic stimulus that causes them anxiety, until they realise no harm will occur.
There are NO relaxation techniques or stepped approach
They are exposed in an intense way repeatedly
The individual’s senses will be flooded with every thought, image ect of this phobia
Explain how Flooding works the behaviourist treatment for phobias
It stops phobic responses quickly
there is no option for avoidance, so they quickly learn that the phobic stimulus is harmless which is called Extinction.
A Learned Response is Extinguished when the conditioned stimulus (a dog) is encountered without the unconditioned stimulus (being bitten). The result is that the CS no longer produces the CR (fear)
key words extinction and extinguished
What are the three Ethical Considerations of flooding
1- They do give informed consent so it isn’t unethical as they know what is involved
2- it is an unpleasant experience so they have to be prepared
3- They get given the choice between SD and flooding and more choose SD
List the 9 comparisons that SD and flooding have
1-SD uses anxiety hierarchy, relaxation techniques and a stepped approach
2- Flooding has no option for avoidance
3- SD is gradual and flooding is intensive
4- Flooding makes sure there’s an extinction of the association
5- SD uses Counter-Conditioning to replace the negative association (anxiety) with a pleasant association due to Reciprocal Inhibition
6- SD is pleasant and flooding is traumatic
7- SD is time consuming
8- Flooding is time effective
List the 4 similarities Systematic Desensitisation and flooding have
- Both expose a person to their phobias
- Both are treatments to eliminate the phobias
- Both are only suitable for ‘specific phobias’
- Both based on conditioning
Explain the two strengths and one counter- argument (a weakness) of Systematic Desensitisation
Para 1:
P- Systematic Desensitisation is an effective treatment for phobias, due to research support.
E- For example, Gilroy 2003, used SD for treating 42 patients who had a Arachnophobia (spiders), by using 3 x 45min sessions. Gilroy followed up how fearful the patients were of spiders at 3 months after and 33 months later.
E- He found that this group who participated in SD were less fearful than the control group who only got treated using relaxation techniques without exposure to the spiders.
L- This suggests how helpful SD is to reducing the anxiety in spiders, as well as demonstrates it is effective because the treatment is long-lasting.
Para 2:
P- In addition, SD is found to be more acceptable to patients, compared to flooding.
E- For example, SD’s refusal rates, as well as Attrition rates (dropping out) is lower than flooding.
E- Patients have preference of SD over Flooding, is because it isn’t traumatic due to it having a stepped approach where you can speak with you therapist and learn relaxation techniques, in order to go up the anxiety hierarchy, which is a goal they can aim to achieve, which is reaching the last step, for example holding a spider.
L- However, a counter-argument to SD is a weakness of it, it how time-consuming it is which means it costs more, because you have to commit to several session over a period of time.
Explain two weaknesses of Flooding
Para 1:
P- A weakness of Flooding is that it’s a less effective treatment for other types of phobias,
E- such as social phobia and agoraphobia, even though flooding is highly effective for simple (specific) phobias.
E- This is because, it is suggested that social phobias are caused by irrational thinking and not caused by unpleasant experiences.
L- Therefore, more complex phobias cannot be treated by behaviourist treatments and other forms of treatment, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which may be a more responsive treatment for irrational thinking.
P- Although flooding is considered a cost effective solution, a weakness is how highly traumatic for patients, increasing their level of anxiety.
E- For example, Choy et al 2011 suggests that Flooding is more effective than SD but due to the traumatic experience, many don’t complete their treatment.
E- This is because the experience is too stressful, that their anxiety levels from the phobia increases so intensively, that there drop out.
L- Therefore, this demonstrates how flooding is sometimes a waste of time and money, if patients do not finish their therapy.
