W4 Chapter 6.3 Specific Phobias

Question 1

What are the 7 criteria for a diagnosis of specific phobia

Answer 1

1. marked fear or anxiety of a specific object or situation
2. the phobia object or situation almost always provokes immediate fear or anxiety
3. The phobic object or situation is actively avoided or endured with intense fear
4. The fear is out of proportion
5. the fear is persistent last for 6 months or more
6. The fear or avoidance cause significant distress or impairment
7. the disturbance is not better explained by another mental disorder

Question 2

What is the cardinal characteristic of phobias

Answer 2

avoidance behaviours

Question 3

What is response to blood-injection-injury phobia is different from other specific phobia responses?

Answer 3

rather than an increase in heart rate and blood pressure they experience an initial increase and then a dramatic drop, accompanied by nausea, dizziness and fainting

Question 4

What is the lifetime prevalence of specific phobias

Answer 4

12%

Question 5

Which gender more commonly experience phobias

Answer 5

Women

Question 6

When is the common onset of animal, blood-injury and dental phobias

Answer 6

childhood

Question 7

When is the common onset of driving and claustrophobia

Answer 7

adolescence and early adulthood

Question 8

What is the psychoanalytic viewpoint of phobias

Answer 8

phobias represent a defence against anxiety that stems from repressed impulse from the id

Question 9

How does learning theory explain phobic responses

Answer 9

classical condition of a neutral stimulus to a fear response and the generalisation of the response to similar objects or situations

Question 10

What is vicarious conditioning

Answer 10

where a fear response is learning by seeing (or hearing) the fear response of another person

Question 11

What factor in experiencing an event can make the fear response greater

Answer 11

a lack of control

Question 12

what evolutionary concept explains the commonality of snake, water and height phobias

Answer 12

prepared learning

Question 13

what result from twin studies supports the genetic causal factor of phobias

Answer 13

monozygotic twins are more likely to share phobias and dizygotic twins

Question 14

What is the most effect treatment for specific phobias

Answer 14

Exposure therapy

Question 15

What is exposure therapy

Answer 15

therapy that involves controlled/graduated exposure to the stimuli that elicit phobic fear

Question 16

What is participant modelling

Answer 16

where the therapist model the unfearful behaviour

Question 17

What drug can enhance the effectiveness of exposure therapy

Answer 17

D-cycloserine