Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

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

The behavioural approach to: treating phobias Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Psychology 101 flashcards GRE® Psychology flashcards AP® Psychology flashcards
1
Q

True/False: Systematic desensitisation and flooding both involve exposing people with a phobia to their phobic stimulus

A

True

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Flooding involves exposing people with a phobia to their phobic stimulus without…

A

a gradual build-up in an anxiety hierarchy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What does Flooding involve?

A

Immediate exposure to a very frightening situation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What may a person with arachnophobia receiving flooding treatment experience?

A

A large spider crawling over them for an extended period

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

True/False: Systematic desensitisation sessions are typically longer than flooding sessions

A

False, flooding sessions are typically longer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

How long do flooding sessions last?

A

Often two to three hours

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

True/False: Sometimes only one long flooding session is needed to cure a phobia

A

True

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Why does flooding stop phobic responses very quickly?

A

This may be because, without the option of avoidance behaviour, the client quickly learns that the phobic stimulus is harmless

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Without the option of avoidance behaviour, the client quickly learns that the phobic stimulus is harmless? What is this process called in classical conditioning?

A

Extinction

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

When is a learned response extinguished in classical conditioning?

A

When the conditioned stimulus is encountered without the unconditioned stimulus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What happens when a conditioned stimulus is encountered without the unconditioned stimulus?

A

Extinction - the conditioned stimulus no longer produces the conditioned response

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Why may a client achieve relaxation in the presence of the phobic stimulus during some cases of flooding?

A

Simply because they become exhausted by their own fear response

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

It is important that clients give fully ________ _______ to flooding. Why?

A

So they are fully prepared before the flooding session

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

True/False: Flooding is an unpleasant experience

A

True

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

To treat a phobia, what would a client normally be given a choice between?

A

Systematic desensitisation and flooding

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Clinical effectiveness

A

How effective a therapy is at tackling symptoms

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Flooding is highly/not cost-effective

A

Highly

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

When we provide therapies in health systems like the NHS we also need to think about how…

A

much they cost

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

When does a therapy become cost-effective?

A

If it is clinically effective and not expensive

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

True/False: Flooding can work in as little as one session

A

True

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

How is flooding more cost-effective than SD?

A

Ten sessions of SD can achieve the same result as flooding

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

The cost-effectiveness of flooding compared to SD means…

A

more people can be treated at the same cost with flooding than with SD or with other therapies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

In what way is flooding a highly unpleasant experience?

A

Confronting one’s phobic stimulus in an extreme form provokes tremendous anxiety

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Schumacher et al. (2015) found that participants and therapists rated flooding as significantly more/less stressful than SD

A

more

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

The fact that participants and therapists rated flooding as significantly more stressful than SD raises the ethical issue for psychologists of…

A

knowingly causing stress to their clients

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

The fact that participants and therapists rated flooding as significantly more stressful than SD raises ethical issues. How can this be negated?

A

Obtaining informed consent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Attrition

A

Dropout

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

The traumatic nature of flooding means that _________ rates are higher than for SD

A

attrition/dropout

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

The fact that attrition rates are higher for flooding than for SD suggests that…

A

overall, therapists may avoid using this treatment

30
Q

A limitation of behavioural therapies, including flooding, is that they only ____ symptoms and do not…

A

mask, tackle the underlying causes of phobias

31
Q

A limitation of behavioural therapies, including flooding, is that they only mask symptoms and do not tackle the underlying causes of phobias. What is this called?

A

Symptom substitution

32
Q

What did Persons (1986) find when treating a woman with a phobia of death using flooding?

A

Her fear of death declined but her fear of getting criticised got worse

33
Q

The only evidence for symptom substitution comes in the form of…

A

case studies

34
Q

The only evidence for symptom substitution comes in the form of case studies. In the case of the person with a fear of death, this…

A

may only generalise to phobias in the study. E.g. the phobia of death. may be different from a phobia of heights

35
Q

Systematic desensitisation is a ___________ therapy designed to…

A

behavioural, gradually reduce phobic anxiety

36
Q

Systematic desensitisation is a behavioural therapy designed to gradually reduce phobic anxiety through which principle?

A

Classical conditioning

37
Q

If a person can learn to _____ in the presence of the phobic stimulus they will be cured

A

relax

38
Q

How does systematic desensitisation use classical conditioning to reduce phobic anxiety?

A

Essentially a new response to the phobic stimulus is learned - it is paired with relaxation instead of anxiety

39
Q

Counterconditioning

A

Learning a different response

40
Q

What are the three processes in systematic desensitisation

A

The anxiety hierarchy, relaxation and exposure

41
Q

What is the first process involved in systematic desensitisation?

A

The anxiety hierarchy

42
Q

Who is the anxiety hierarchy put together by?

A

A client and their therapist

43
Q

What’s included within an anxiety hierarchy?

A

A list of situations related to the phobic stimulus that provoke anxiety

44
Q

How are situations arranged in an anxiety hierarchy?

A

In order from least to most frightening

45
Q

Where would a person with arachnophobia put a picture of a small spider in their anxiety hierarchy?

A

Low

46
Q

Where would a person with arachnophobia put holding a tarantula in their anxiety hierarchy?

A

High

47
Q

What’s the second process involved in systematic desensitisation?

A

Relaxation

48
Q

During the second process in systematic desensitisation, the therapist…

A

teaches the client to relax as deeply as possible

49
Q

Why does the therapist teach the client to relax in systematic desensitisation?

A

It is impossible to be afraid and relaxed at the same time, so one emotion prevents the other

50
Q

It is impossible to be afraid and relaxed at the same time, so one emotion prevents the other. What is this called?

A

Reciprocal inhibition

51
Q

What may relaxation in systematic desensitisation involve?

A

Breathing exercises, drugs such as Valium or mental imagery techniques such as imagining themselves in relaxing situations

52
Q

During which stage of systematic desensitisation may someone be taught to imagine themself lying on a beach?

A

Relaxation

53
Q

True/False: Relaxation as a part of systematic desensitisation is sometimes achieved using drugs such as Valium

A

True

54
Q

What’s the third process involved in systematic desensitisation?

A

Exposure

55
Q

What happens during the third process in systematic desensitisation?

A

The client is exposed to the phobic stimulus

56
Q

What state is the client in when exposed to the phobic stimulus during systematic desensitisation?

A

A relaxed state

57
Q

True/False: In systematic desensitisation, exposure takes place in one session

A

False, it takes place across several sessions

58
Q

How does exposure take place in systematic desensitisation?

A

Starting at the bottom of the anxiety hierarchy and when the client can stay relaxed in the presence of the lower levels of phobic stimulus they move up the hierarchy

59
Q

At what point is systematic desensitisation successful?

A

When the client can stay relaxed in situations high on the anxiety hierarchy

60
Q

How many people did Gilroy et al. (2003) follow up with who had SD for spider phobia?

A

42

61
Q

What did Gilroy find about 42 people who had SD for spider phobia?

A

At both 3 and 33 months, the SD group were less fearful than a control group

62
Q

How much systematic desensitisation had Gilroy’s participants been in receipt of?

A

Three 45-minute sessions

63
Q

What was Gilroy’s control group?

A

A group who had been treated by relaxation without exposure

64
Q

What did Wechsler et al.’s 2019 review conclude about SD?

A

It is effective for specific phobia, social phobia and agoraphobia

65
Q

Wechsler et al.’s 2019 review conclusion stating the effectiveness of SD suggests…

A

it is likely to be helpful for people with phobias

66
Q

True/False: Systematic desensitisation can be used to help people with learning disabilities

A

True

67
Q

Why may people with learning disabilities struggle with cognitive therapies?

A

They require complex and rational thought

68
Q

Why may people with learning disabilities struggle with flooding?

A

They may feel confused and distressed as it is a traumatic experience

69
Q

What’s the most appropriate treatment for phobias for people with learning disabilities?

A

Systematic desensitisation

70
Q

What’s the main advantage of using VR to conduct the exposure element of systematic desensitisation?

A

Can be used to avoid dangerous situations such as heights - also cost-effective because the psychologist and client need not leaving the consulting room

71
Q

Why is using VR as part of systematic desensitisation cost-effective?

A

The psychologist and client need not leaving the consulting room

72
Q

What’s the main argument against using VR to conduct the exposure element of systematic desensitisation?

A

There is some evidence to suggest this exposure may be less effective than real exposure for phobias as it lacks realism (Wechsler et al. (2019))

Psychology - IN FOCUS Psychopathology (6 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions