Behavioural Approach To Explaining Phobias

Question 1

key assumptions of the behavioural approach to explaining phobias

Answer 1

1. All phobias are learnt as oppossed to being biological
2. Phobias are learned through the process of classical conditioning
3. Classical conditioning suggests phobas are learnd through associations of two stimuli being paried together
4. Operant conditioning suggests phobias are learnd throuugh reinforcement of behaviour including consequences

Question 2

what is the two process model and who suggested it ?

Answer 2

• suggested by Mowrer 1947
• phobias are learned in two stages
• first stage suggests why phobias begin in the first place (initiation)
  seocnd phase suggests why phobias continue (maintenance)

Question 3

explain initiation

Answer 3

• based upon principles ofclassical conditioning
• assumes that phobias develop as a result of a paired association between a neutral stimulus and feared stimulus

Question 4

what was the aim of Watson and Rayner’s study

Answer 4

to investigate whether phobias could be learned through the processes of classical conditioning

Question 5

what was the procedure of Watson and Rayner’s study

Answer 5

• an 11 month old boy ‘little albert’ was presented with a series of objects and animla to which he showed no emotional responses to Eg: cotton wool, white rat
• researchers selcted one of these neutral srtimuli; the white rat, and presented it to albert whilst striking a bar with a hammer
• whenever albert reached for the rat they striked the hammer, startling him. they repated this 3 times a week for 2 weeks

Question 6

‘what were the findings of Watson and Rayner’s study

Answer 6

-little albert learned an association between the white rat and the noise of the bar being struck wit the hammer and became frightened whenever he saw the rat.
- this fear genralised to other similar objects such as a fur coat, santa claue mask made of cotton wool

Question 7

conclusion of Watson and Rayner’s study

Answer 7

• the study shows that phobias can be leanred throuhg classical conditioning
• little albert learnt to associate the fear of the loud noise with the rat

Question 8

explain maintenance

Answer 8

• shown through operant conditioning, explains why indiduals continue to have the phobia
• according to this theory behaviour towards the phobic stimulus usually involves avoidance
• avoiding the phobic stimulus becomes a behaviour which is repeated as it is rewarding becuase it reduces anxiety and fear
• avoidancde acts as negative reinforcemnt beucase it removes the unpleasant situation

Question 9

strength: supporting evidence

Answer 9

I: there is supporting evidence for phobias being learnd through cliassical conditioning
E: findings from Watson and Rayner’s study
additionally many people report specific incidents relating to when thier phobias first appeared such as being bitten by a dog or having a panick attack - Sue et al 1994
C: suggests phobias are learnt through association and supports the behavioursit CC explanation that all phobias are acquired through pairing of stimuli, creating a fear response

Question 10

weakness: contradictory

Answer 10

I: evidence that contradicts that phobias are learnt through the two-process model
E: not all phobias can be attributed to an association between a neutral stimulus and a fearful situation.
EG: Menzies and Clarke found that only 2% of children who suffered from a water phobia reported having a frightening experince with water
Bregman failed t ocondiction a fear response to wooden blocks in 16-18 mnth infants by pairing a loud bell every time they played with the blocks
C: may be other explanations for why phobias develop that is not considered by the behavioural apporach and not every trauma/association leads to a phobia developing. decreases the validty of the explanation as it is too simplistic

Question 11

weakness: alternate

Answer 11

I: alternative explanations of biological prepardeness may explain the initiation of phobias
E: humans may be genetically programmed to rapidly learn an association between life-threating stimuli and fear. these stimuli are ancient fears which would have threatedn survival in the evolutionary past (eg: snakes)
C: the behavioural apporach does not account for any biological contributions to the development of phobias as a learnt response to stimuli. meaning that the explanation may be too simplistic as phobias of ancient fears are more common

Question 12

weakness: reductionist

Answer 12

I: behavioural explanation for phobias is accused of being reductionist
E: it sttempts to explain phobias as being purley a result of simple stimulus-response learning associations and nothing else. means we may be ignoring biological and cognitive explanations for phobias such as imbalances of neurotransmitters and irrational thought processes
C: the explanation of phobias is too simplistic as it breaks it down to a single explantion and therefore ignores how phobias may be cuased by multiple contributing factors, decreasing the validty of the explantion as it does not consider a hollistic approach