The Two-Process Model Flashcards
What does the behavioural approach explain about phobias?
The development and maintenance using theories of classical conditioning and operant conditioning
According to behaviourists what are phobias a result of?
A classically conditioned association between an anxiety provoking unconditioned stimulus and a previously neutral stimulus
How does operant conditioning explain how a phobia is maintained?
The conditioned (i.e. learned) stimulus evokes fears, and avoidance of the feared object or situation lessens this feeling, which is rewarding. The reward (negative reinforcement) strengths the avoidance behavior, and the phobia is maintained
What did Watson and Rayner (1920) do?
Used classical conditioing to create a phobia in an infant called little Albert
Albery developed a phobia of a white rat when he learned to associate the rat with a loud noise
What are limitations of using the behaviourist approach?
Overlooks the role of cognition
irrational thinking appears to be a key feature of phobias. Tomarken et al. (1989) presented a series of slides of snake and neutral images (e.g. trees) to phobic and non-phobic participants. The phobics tended to overestimate the number of snake images presented.
Why does the cognitive approach criticise the behavioural model?
it does not take mental processes into account. They argue that the thinking processes that occur between a stimulus and a response are responsible for the feeling component of the response.
