The Behaviourist Approach - Aversion Therapy

Question 1

What does the behaviourist approach assume about maladaptive behaviours?

Answer 1

assumes that all behaviour is learned, and this includes maladaptive behaviours (abnormal behaviours) such as addictions

Question 2

What is counterconditioning?

Answer 2

a person can unlearn maladaptive behaviours and re-learn how to behave in a more functional, healthy way

Question 3

What is aversion therapy a type of?

Answer 3

counterconditioning is known as a behaviour modification and aversion therapy is one type of behaviour modification
(un-learn abnormal, learn normal)

Question 4

What is aversion therapy based on the principles of?

Answer 4

it is based on the principles of classical conditioning

Question 5

What does aversion therapy condition a person to do?

Answer 5

aversion therapy conditions a person to avoid an undesirable behaviour pattern

Question 6

What is an example of why someone may use aversion therapy, in terms of classical conditioning?

Answer 6

the person currently has an undesirable behaviour such as alcoholism, and the assumption is that they have learned to associate alcohol with pleasurable feelings

Question 7

What is the aim of aversion therapy?

Answer 7

the aim of aversion therapy is to condition the person into associating the alcohol with an unpleasant feeling (such as feeling sick) so that they stop drinking

Question 8

How does the process of aversion therapy work?

Answer 8

the person is repeatedly presented with an aversive stimuli (unpleasant) at the same time that they are engaging in the undesirable behaviour

Question 9

Present how aversion therapy would work for alcoholics?

Answer 9

UCR (drug) -> UCR (nausea)
NS (alcohol) + UCS (drug) -> UCR (nausea)
CS (alcohol) -> CR (nausea)

Question 10

What is the role of operant conditioning in aversion therapy?

Answer 10

motivates you to keep avoiding the old addictive behaviour
- if done continuously, you are cured

Question 11

Explain the use of operant conditioning in aversion therapy for alcoholics?

Answer 11

• once an association has been made between the once-pleasant stimulus (eg alcohol) and an unpleasant response (feeling sick), the person tends to avoid future contact with the stimulus (eg avoiding social situations where people drink alcohol)
• therefore by this point, the person is being NEGATIVELY REINFORCED

Question 12

What motivates an alcoholic to continue avoiding situations to do with alcohol?

Answer 12

by not going to places where people drink alcohol, the person avoids the unpleasant situation of feeling sick, motivating them to continue to avoid these situations

Question 13

What is an alternative to traditional aversion therapy?

Answer 13

covert sensitisation (imagined associations)

Question 14

What is covert sensitisation based on?

Answer 14

covert sensitisation is based on the principles of classical conditioning

Question 15

What does covert sensitisation involve?

Answer 15

involves a person creating an IMAGINED UNPLEASANT ASSOCIATION between the addictive behaviour (eg smoking, gambling) and an unpleasant stimulus (eg the pain created by an electric shock)

Question 16

What is an example of the use of covert sensitisation to treat pathological gambling?

Answer 16

for example, is someone was using covert sensitisation to treat pathological gambling, they would imagine themselves gambling (eg playing slot machines or cards for money) and then as vividly as they can imagine a very unpleasant consequence, such as an intense electric shock

Question 17

How does covert sensitisation work?

Answer 17

by consistently making an association in their mind (eg gambling and intense electric shock), they should lose the desire to gamble