The behavioural approach to explaining phobias

Question 1

3 ways behaviourist approach re enforces behaviour

Answer 1

classical- association - bell and food (pavlov dogs)
-operant- learning by reward e.g skinner - press lever and get food via positive and negative reinforcement
-vicarious reinforcement= see others rewarded- bandura bobo doll

Question 2

what was the two process model by mowrer 1960?

Answer 2

stage 1 is acquisition = classical conditoming (getting)
stage 2 is maintenance= operant

Question 3

what were the aims of the little albert study?

Answer 3

• to see what by nature albert was afraid of
• to see if new fears can be conditioned
• see if fear of rat transfers to other animals

Question 4

what was the procedure of little albert?

Answer 4

• presented w various animals
• burning newspapers and santa claus mask
  (which had no reaction at first)
• hitting large metal bar and exposed to rat repeatedly w noise

Question 5

what were the findings of little albert study?

Answer 5

-metal bar caused him to be startled
- stimulus generalisation occurred
(he generalised a rat with the metal sound)

Question 6

what was the convulsion of the little albert study?

Answer 6

-fear can be learnt

Question 7

bad ethics of little albert study?

Answer 7

-life long fear
-animals didn’t consent

Question 8

evaluating little albert study

Answer 8

-questionable validity
-poor population validity ( only little albert)
-results not replicated so unreliable
-unethical rules (animals and little albert)
-lasting damage- albert not de conditioned
-very cruel

Question 9

what is accquisiton classical conditoning?

Answer 9

-intially has no fear of the neutral stimulus
with something that already triggers fear reponse (the Ucs)

Question 10

accquistioning in little albert?

Answer 10

-loud sound (UCS) = FEAR (UCR)
-rat(ns) and the (UCS) encountered close tg
-NS then becomes associated with the (UCS) and now produces fear
-rat becomes (CS) = fear (CR)
-conditoning now generalised w similar objects e.g santas beard

Question 11

whats accquiring?

Answer 11

-association fear with traumatic experience

Question 12

whats maintanence?

Answer 12

-negative reinforcemnt to avoid unpleasant stimulus
-for desirbale consequence so behaviour is repeated (as anxiety is reduced so phobia maintained)
-behaviour is rewarded or punished

Question 13

evaulating two process model
strength

Answer 13

(real world app)
-exposure therapies e.g systematic disenstitation
- in phobias avoidance behaviour reinforced by the experince of anxiety reduction
-so when avoidance prevented = phobia cured
(phobia and trauma exp)
e.g lil albert frigheting exp led to phobia
-ad de jongh - those scared of dental treatment had traumatic exp w densitry or victim of violent crime (73%)
-comapred to control grp of (21%) only exp traumatic exp with low dentala anxiety
-so asscoiation with truama and phobia is strong

Question 14

evaulating two process model
limitation

Answer 14

(cognitive aspects)
-only explains behaviours
-phobias arent only avoidance responses
-people hold irritational beliefs ab spiders e.g dangerous
-no explanaiton for phobic cognitions
-no full explamiatiom of phobic symptoms
(counterpoint phobia and trauma)
-some phobias arent caused by trauma
-e.g snake phobias
some never encountered a snake
-so association isnt strong
(learning and evolution)- alternative exp
-explained by evolution theory
-accquired phobia of things that been presented as danger in past
-e.g snakes = prepardness