Psychopathology - Phobias

Question 1

What are phobias

Answer 1

All phobias are characterised by excessive fear and anxiety, triggered by an object, place or situation.

The extent of the fear is out of proportion to any real danger presented by the phobic stimulus

Question 2

How does the latest version of the DSM recognise phobias

Answer 2

Specific phobia: phobia of an object, such as an animal or body part, or a situation such as flying or having an injection.
• Social anxiety(socialphobia):phobia of a social situation such as public speaking or using a public toilet.
• Agoraphobia: phobia of being outside or in a public place.

Question 3

What are the behavioural categories of phobias

Answer 3

Panic (cry, scream, run away, freeze, cling, tantrums)
• Avoidance of stimulus
• Endurance (remain in presence but experience high anxiety

Question 4

What are the emotional characteristics of phobias

Answer 4

Anxiety (unpleasantly high state of arousal)
• Fear (immediate and extremely unpleasant response)
• Unreasonable emotional response

Question 5

What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias

Answer 5

• Selective attention to stimulus
• Irrational beliefs (e.g. I must always sound intelligent)
• Cognitive distortions (e.g. seeing the stimulus as alien, ugly,
disgusting or aggressive looking)

Question 6

What do we use to explain phobias

Answer 6

The behavioural approach

Question 7

What does the behavioural approach explain

Answer 7

The behavioural characteristics of of phobias

Question 8

What is the two process model

Answer 8

A phobia is acquired (learnt in first place) by classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning

Question 9

What is acquisition by classical conditioning

Answer 9

When we learn to associate something of which we initially have no fear of (neutral stimulus) with something that already triggers fear (unconditioned stimulus)

UCS produces a fear response, UCS is then associated with NS. NS becomes a CS that will produce a CR of fear when presented.

Question 10

Explain the procedure for Watson and Rayners 1920 study ‘little albert’

Answer 10

Created phobia in 9 month baby

When rats presented
Loud frightening noise created
(UCS)
And created unconditioned response of fear
When rat the NS and noise UCS continuously together
Rat becomes associated with loud noise and also produces fear response
Albert frightened when he saw the rat

Question 11

What were the results of the little albert study

Answer 11

Rat had become conditioned stimulus

Produced conditioned fear response

Question 12

How does operant conditioning take place

Answer 12

Operant conditioning takes place when behaviour is reinforced
Reinforcement increases the likelihood of behaviour continuing
In negative reinforcement - unpleasant stimulus removed or avoided which results in desirable outcomes

Question 13

How does operant conditioning maintain behaviour

Answer 13

When we avoid a phobic stimulus
Avoid the fear and anxiety suffered if we had remained
Reduction in anxiety and fear reinforces avoidance behaviour
Phobia is maintained

Question 14

What is a strength of the two process model (implications for treatment)

Answer 14

The two process model suggests that phobias are maintained over time through avoidance of the phobic stimulus (negative reinforcement).

Has important implications for easier treatment
Explains why instead of avoidance , patients need to be exposed to feared stimulus

This prevents behaviour being reinforced so declines allowing unlearning of phobia

Question 15

What is a limitation of the two process model

Incomplete explanation

Answer 15

Aspects of phobic behaviour that cant be explained by operant and classical conditioning

It has been said there may be evolutionary factors that have important role.
Eg due to biological preparedness we fear things that have been source of danger in evolutionary past like spiders.
However - rare to develop fear of car guns - much more dangerous

Only existed recently - not biologically prepared to learn fear response
More to acquiring phobia than conditioning

Question 16

What is a limitataion for two process model (alternative explanations doesn’t always follow after trauma)

Answer 16

P) One limitation of the two-process model is that it does not explain the development of all phobias.
E.g.) Some people cannot remember an incident occurring that led to their phobia developing. This suggests different phobias may be the result of different processes.
Exp) However it is possible that such traumatic events did actually happen, but the person has forgotten them.