Behavioural Approach To Explaining Phobias

Question 1

Behavioural explanation - 2 process model

Answer 1

• All phobias learned from a person’s
environment
• Two process model as learnt
through classical conditioning and maintained by operant conditioning
• Classical conditioning – learning through associating a neutral stimulus with a stimulus that produces a response of fear
• Fear triggered when they see object
• Little Albert – developed a phobia
of a white rat (NS) because overtime it was associated with a loud noise (UCS) as this produced a response of fear (UCR). In the end the rat (CS) alone produced he response of fear (CR) associated loud noise (UCS) with rat (NS)
• Phobias are maintained by operant conditioning – learning through reinforcement (avoidance)
• A person will avoid the feared object – meaning the person is being negatively reinforced as they will be avoid anxiety, so repeat this behaviour and maintain the phobia

Question 2

Behavioural explanation- strength

Answer 2

P- The behavioural explanation has practical
application (treatment)
E- the approach argues that a person learns a phobia through association and reinforcement
E- this has been used to create systematic desensitisation which works by gradually exposing the person to their feared stimulus to unlearn the phobias
L- therefore the behavioural approach to phobias is an important part of applied psychology

Question 3

Behavioural explanation- weakness 1

Answer 3

P- Despite the benefits identified it is criticised for
environmental reductionism
E- suggests phobias are solely due to maladaptive learning through stimulus response associations
E- ignore holistic ideas such as the way phobias can be influenced by socio-cultural factors
L- therefore explaining solely by learning is too simplistic to explain a complex behaviour such as phobias

Question 4

Behavioural explanation - weakness 2

Answer 4

P- The complex nature of phobias is shown by
alternative explanations for phobias such as the evolutionary approach
E- phobias are not due to learning but we are born with certain phobias because these situations/objects were dangerous to our ancestors in our evolutionary past e.g. many people fear snakes despite never being in contact with them
E- suggesting this phobia couldn’t be learnt so may have been hardwired by evolution
L- so if a phobia is learnt it is part of a complex range of factors, so cannot be a sole explanation