Week 5: Behavioural Psychotherapy: British Tradition of Behavioural Psychotherapy Flashcards
British Tradition of Behavioural Psychotherapy
- Primary Influencers: Mary Cover-Jones, John B. Watson, Ivan Pavlov, and Clark Hull
- Methods: Classical Conditioning, de-conditioning, extinction
- Targets: Neuroses, anxiety, fear
- Major Driver: Return of soldiers following WW1 suffering from ‘shell shock’ or ‘war neurosis’
Maudsley Hospital
Located in South London, next to the IoPPN was established in 1907 as the first modern hospital for the treatment of mental illness.
By the time it was built and opened in 1916, the First World War was well underway, and its first role was in the assessment and treatment of soldiers suffering from shell shock.
Shell Shock
Psychological trauma experienced by soldiers during and after World War I. It encompasses a range of symptoms, including anxiety, flashbacks, and emotional numbness.
Clark Hull (neobehaviorist)
Emphasized the role of motivation or drive in shaping
behaviour.
Extinction
The expected outcome of experiments in classical conditioning in animals shows that the conditioned response does not usually persist forever but tends to extinguish when a conditioned stimulus ceases to be paired with the unconditioned stimulus.
Neurosis
An outdated term used to describe a group of mental disorders characterized by anxiety, obsessive thoughts, compulsive behaviors, or irrational fears.
It was often used to describe conditions that caused significant distress but did not involve a complete loss of touch with reality (unlike psychosis).
MaryCover-Jones (1897 - 1987)
American psychologist who investigated the potential of classical conditioning to remove fear or phobic responses in young children.
Mother of Behavioral Psychotherapy
Mary Cover-Jones
Transferred Fear / Generalized Conditioned Response
A fear response that is generalized from one stimulus to another, often due to perceived similarities
Toleration Scale
Cover-Jones tracked Peter’s progress by measuring his ability to tolerate the rabbit’s presence, rather than relying on subjective measures of fear.
Tolerant Series
Exposure or Stimulus Hierarchy
Modeling
A form of observational or social learning where one learns by observing and imitating others.
Mary Cover-Jones Legacy of Behavioural Psychotherapy
Application of Evidence and Theory. Experimental approach. Methodological innovations.
- Deconditioning
- Systematic Exposure
- Stimulus Hierarchy
- Observation and Modeling
- Systematic Measurement of Behavior
- Objective Measurement
Deconditioning
The process of eliminating a conditioned response (e.g., fear) by associating the conditioned stimulus (e.g., rabbit) with a new, positive response (e.g., pleasure from food).
Systematic Exposure
Gradually expose an individual to a feared stimulus or situation in a controlled and incremental manner.
Stimulus Hierarchy
A ranked list of anxiety-provoking stimuli, ranging from least to most feared, used in systematic exposure therapy.
Observation and Modeling
Learning by observing and imitating the behavior of others.
Systematic Measurement of Behavior
The consistent and standardized observation and recording of target behaviors to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention.
Objective Measurement
Using quantifiable data, such as heart rate or behavioral counts, to assess changes in behavior rather than relying solely on subjective reports.
Joseph Wolpe (1915 - 1997)
South African psychologist who experimented in animals on fear conditioning and deconditioning, used punishment techniques, and applied to the treatment of neuroses.
Reciprocal Inhibition
This proposed that it was impossible to be both anxious or afraid, while at the same time carrying out behavior that indicated the opposite, in other words, relaxation, and fearlessness.
Assertiveness Training
Wolpe introduced a way to address problems with shell-shocked soldiers that we would
now see as social anxiety. In such patients, developing positive and assertive social interaction
was seen as incompatible with the fearful withdrawal in many life situations that these ex-soldiers
showed.
Response Prevention
Inhibit avoidance behaviours during exposure
Subjective Units of Distress (SUD)
A simple numerical scale developed by Wolpe that patients use to rate their own levels of anxiety
Relaxation Training
Skills to reduce level of anxiety, both subjectively and also the physical symptoms, before enduring
exposure
Counterconditioning
A behavioral technique where a positive stimulus (favorite toy) is paired with a stimulus that elicits a negative response (thunder). The goal is to replace the negative response (fear) with a positive one (less or no fear).
Systematic Desensitization
A mainstay of behavioural therapy for the treatment of a range of anxiety disorders, from phobias to social anxiety to obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Systematic Desensitization
- Stimulus Hierarchies
- Systematic Graded Exposure
- Response Prevention
- Subjective Units of Distress
- Relaxation Training
Imaginal Desensitization (In vitro)
Therapy can be done by asking the person to imagine
exposure, rather than actually happening in real life or in vivo
Power of Imagination
It is the nature of anxiety that stress can
occur when a person imagines a step on the hierarchy, as well as when it is actually experienced.
This is further evidence from brain imaging studies that show the physiological equivalence of real
and imagined exposure to fearful stimuli.
Advantages of Imaginal Desensitization
- Broadens the range of target problems that can be treated
- Allows the patient to practice exposure
- Potential for more frequent practice
Disadvantages of Imaginal Desensitization
- More effective when in vivo
- Worked with patients who were able to conjure strong and convincing visual images, something that not all people can do
- Virtual Reality techniques can replace this
Virtual Reality Techniques
Being used to bridge the real and the imagined,
opening up new opportunities to reduce anxiety.
Deconditioning by Observation
Reduce our responses to fearful or anxiety-provoking situations by watching another person experience it, rather than experiencing it directly or even imagining it.
Social Learning Theory
Learning by observation (Albert Bandura).
We can and do learn important behaviour from
watching other people and observing the consequences of their actions.
We can learn without being directly reinforced ourselves.
Albert Bandura
Canadian psychologist Albert Bandura. His
work formed another important strand in the so-called cognitive revolution in the 1960s
Bobo Doll Experiment (1961)
- Study of incluence of observation of aggression in 72 young children (24 Aggressive role models, 24 non-agg role models, 24 control group)
- Children imitated aggressive behaviour they observed
Social Function of Fear
We communicate danger to others so they can take appropriate action
Intergenerational Transmission of Fear
Child observing -> Parent demonstrating fear of a spider -> Child develops the same fear of spiders
Fear Transmission
Observing others expressing fear can lead to the development of similar fears in observers.
Therapeutic Modelling
The patient observes another person in a situation that they themselves find distressing
Coping Modeling
Observing another person (sharing the same fear) in a situation that they find distressing
Mastery Modeling
Observing another person (fearless) in a situation that they themselves find distressing
Coping Modeling and Mastery Modeling
Seeing someone doing something despite being afraid (Coping) is a more powerful way to help us overcome our own fears than seeing someone fearless (Mastery) doing the same thing.
