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Psychology - IN FOCUS Psychopathology > The behavioural approach to: explaining phobias > Flashcards

The behavioural approach to: explaining phobias Flashcards

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1
Q

The behavioural approach to explaining phobias emphasises the role of…

A

learning in the acquisition of behaviour

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2
Q

The behavioural approach to explaining phobias is geared towards explaining the key ___________ aspects of phobias rather than the _________ and _________ aspects of phobias

A

behavioural, cognitive, eotional

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3
Q

The behavioural approach to explaining phobias is geared towards explaining the key behavioural aspects of phobias such as… (name 2)

A

Any 2 from panic, avoidance and endurance

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4
Q

Who proposed the two-process model for the behavioural approach to explaining phobias?

A

Mowrer (1960)

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5
Q

What is the two-process model based on?

A

The behavioural approach to phobias

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6
Q

How does the two-process model state that phobias are acquired?

A

By classical conditioning

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7
Q

What does classical conditioning involve?

A

Learning to associate something of which we initially have no fear with something that already triggers a fear response (neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus)

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8
Q

Classical conditioning involves learning to associate something of which we initially have no fear _______ stimulus) with something that already triggers are fear response (_____________ stimulus)

A

neutral, unconditioned

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9
Q

What did Watson and Rayner (1920) do?

A

Created a phobia in a 9-month-old baby called ‘Little Albert’

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10
Q

True/False: Little Albert showed an unusual level of anxiety at the start of the study

A

False, he showed no unusual anxiety at the start of the study

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11
Q

What did Little Albert do when first shown a white rat?

A

He tried to play with it

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12
Q

What did experimenters set out to give Albert in the aim of the study?

A

A phobia

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13
Q

What did researchers do whenever the rat was presented to Albert?

A

Made a loud, frightening noise by banging an iron bar close to his ear

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14
Q

What was the unconditioned stimulus in the case of little Albert?

A

The noise

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15
Q

What was the unconditioned response in the case of Little Albert?

A

Fear

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16
Q

What happened in the case of Little Albert when the rat and unconditioned stimulus were encountered close together in time?

A

The rat (neutral stimulus) becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus and both bow produce the new fear response

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17
Q

Why did Albert display fear when he saw the rat?

A

It was now a learned or conditioned stimulus producing a conditioned response

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18
Q

How was Little Albert’s conditioning generalised to similar objects

A

Albert was testing by showing him other furry objects such as a non-white rabbit, fur coat and Watson wearing a Santa Claus beard made out of cotton balls - Little Albert displayed distress at the sight of all of these

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19
Q

Give an example of one of the similar objects that Albert displayed distress at the sight of after conditioning

A

Any form fur coat, a non-white rabbit and Watson wearing a Santa Claus beard made out of cotton balls

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20
Q

How does the two-process model state that phobias continue?

A

Operant conditioning

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21
Q

True/False: Responses acquired by classical conditioning usually maintain in strength over time

A

False, they usually tend to decline over time

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22
Q

Phobias are often long-lasting. What has Mowrer explained this is a result of?

A

Operant conditioning

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23
Q

Operant conditioning takes place when…

A

our behaviour is reinforced or punished

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24
Q

What does reinforcement tend to increase?

A

The frequency of a behaviour

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25
Q

What does an individual do in the case of negative reinforcement?

A

Avoid a situation that is unpleasant

26
Q

In negative reinforcement, what does avoiding a situation that is unpleasant result in?

A

A desirable consequence

27
Q

Why are people likely to repeat behaviour as a result of negative reinforcement

A

Avoiding a situation that is unpleasant results in a desirable consequence

28
Q

How does Mowrer suggest that operant conditioning applies to the maintenance of phobias?

A

Whenever we avoid a phobic stimulus we successfully escape the fear of anxiety we would’ve otherwise experienced if we had remained there - this reduction in fear reinforces the avoidance behaviour and so the phobia is maintained

29
Q

Mowrer suggests that whenever we avoid a phobic stimulus we successfully escape what?

A

Fear and anxiety

30
Q

Mowrer suggests that phobias are continued because of operant conditioning, particularly positive/negative reinforcement

A

Negative

31
Q

Mowrer suggests that whenever we avoid a phobic stimulus we successfully escape the fear of anxiety we would’ve otherwise experienced if we had remained there. What does this reduction in fear do?

A

Reinforces the avoidance behaviour and so the phobia is maintained

32
Q

True/False: There is real-world application in exposure therapies

A

True

33
Q

True/False: Systematic desensitisation is an example of real-world application of the two-process model

A

True

34
Q

A distinctive element of the two-process model is the idea that phobias are maintained by…

A

avoidance of the phobic stimulus

35
Q

Why is the idea that phobias are maintained by avoidance of the phobic stimulus important in explaining why people with phobias benefit from being exposed to the phobic stimulus?

A

Once the avoidance behaviour is prevented it ceases to be reinforced by the experience of anxiety reduction

36
Q

What is the benefit of preventing avoidance behaviour when treating phobias?

A

It ceases to be reinforced by the experience of anxiety reduction - reducing avoidance

37
Q

The application of the two-process theory in exposure therapies such as systematic desensitisation shows the value of the two-process approach because…

A

it identifies a means of treating phobias

38
Q

True/False: The two-process model accounts for the cognitive aspects of phobias

A

False, it doesn’t

39
Q

What are behavioural explanations geared towards explaining?

A

Behaviour

40
Q

In the case of phobias what is the key behaviour?

A

Avoidance of the phobic stimulus

41
Q

How do we know that phobias are not simply avoidance responses?

A

They also have a significant cognitive component

42
Q

Thinking that a spider is dangerous is an example of…

A

an irrational belief about a phobic stimulus

43
Q

The two-process model explains avoidance behaviour but…

A

does not offer an adequate explanation of phobic cognitions

44
Q

The two-process model explains avoidance behaviour but doesn’t offer an adequate explanation of phobic cognitions. What does this mean?

A

The two-process model does not completely explain the symptoms of phobias

45
Q

True/False: There is evidence for a link between bad experiences and phobias

A

True

46
Q

Give an example of a case study that shows a link between bad experiences and phobias

A

Little Albert Study

47
Q

The Little Albert Study illustrates how a frightening experience involving a ________ can lead to…

A

stimulus, a phobia of that stimulus

48
Q

What did Ad De Jongh et al. (2006) find?

A

73% of people with a fear of dental treatment had experienced a traumatic experience, mostly involving dentistry

49
Q

Ad De Jongh et al. (2006) found that __% of people with a fear of dental treatment had experienced a traumatic experience

A

73

50
Q

Ad De Jongh et al. (2006) found that 73% of people with a fear of dental treatment had experienced a traumatic experience. What did these traumatic experiences involve?

A

Mostly involving dentistry - others had experienced being the victim of a violent crime

51
Q

What was Ad De Jongh et al. (2006)’s control group?

A

A group of people with low dental anxiety

52
Q

In Ad De Jongh et al. (2006)’s control group, what percentage had experienced a traumatic event?

A

21%

53
Q

Ad De Jongh et al. (2006)’s findings confirm the association between…

A

stimulus and unconditioned response does lead to the development of phobia

54
Q

In Ad De Jongh et al. (2006)’s study what was the stimulus?

A

Dentistry

55
Q

In Ad De Jongh et al. (2006)’s study what was the UCR?

A

Pain

56
Q

True/False: Not all phobias appear following a bad experience

A

True

57
Q

True/False: Some common phobias such as snake phobias occur in populations where very few people have any experiences of snakes let alone traumatic experiences

A

True

58
Q

The association between phobias and frightening experiences would mean that common phobias such as snake phobias are a result of…

A

traumatic experiences with snakes (not the case)

59
Q

The association between phobias and frightening experiences would suggest that frightening experiences lead to…

A

phobias

60
Q

Evidence weakening the association between phobias and frightening experiences suggests…

A

this association is not as as strong as we would expect if behavioural theories provided are a complete explanation

61
Q

Give an example of how behavioural models of phobias provide credible individual explanations?

A

They can explain how a particular person develops and maintains a particular phobia

62
Q

We tend to acquire phobias of things that have presented a danger in our evolutionary past, such as snakes and the dark. What does this suggest about the behavioural models of phobias?

A

There are more general aspects to phobias that may be better explained by evolutionary theory

Psychology - IN FOCUS Psychopathology (6 decks)

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