Behavioural approach treating phobias Flashcards
(17 cards)
What is the 2 process model?
Behavioural approach suggests that phobias are acquired and maintained through the two process model
What is initiation?
Classical conditioning- the phobia is originally initiated when the individual receives a punishment from the stimulus.
E.g. individual associates a once neutral stimulus (dogs) with an unconditioned stimulus (being bitten) which produced a conditioned response of fear.
What is maintenance?
Operant conditioning - a phobia is maintained because the avoidance of the phobic stimulus reduces fear and this negatively reinforces the phobic behaviour.
E.g. the individual acids anxiety by avoiding dogs entirely. Reinforcement tends to increase the frequency of a behaviour.
What evidence supports this theory?
Watson and Rayner (1920) creates a phobia in 9-month-old ‘Little Albert’.
Wherever the rat was presented (neutral stimulus) they made a loud noise (UCS) by banging an iron bar to create fear (UCR). The rat and loud noise became associated. The rat is nos the CS about to provide the CR, fear.
This conditioning is generalised to similar objects (e.g. a white rabbit, fur coats, Santa Claus’ beard)
What are the evaluation points for the behavioural approach to explain phobias?
(+) supporting evidence
(+) successful practical applications
(-) nature vs nurture
(+) over simplistic
What evidence supports the behavioural approach’s explanation for phobias?
- outline the method & results for ‘Little Albert’ study
- ties is a strength because it demonstrates phobias can be learnt via the process of classical conditioning
-increases the validity of the behavioural explanation
How have the practical applications of the behavioural approach to explaining phobias been shown to be effective?
-behavioural treatments such as systematic desensitisation can be very effective. Gilroy et al (2003) followed up 42 patients who had been treated for spider phobia in the 45 min sections of SD. The spider phobia was assessed in several measures including a questionnaire & by assessing response to a spider. A control group was tested by relaxation without exposure at 3 months and 33 moths after the treatment, the SD grotto was less fearful than the relaxation group.
-the treatment is based on the assumptions of the approach, so it must be partially valid.
How does the behavioural explanation favour the nurture side of the nature vs nurture debate?
-The behavioural approach suggests that phobias are caused by experience and so suggests that nurture alone of causing the disorder.
-It ignores any evidence to suggest that phobias are caused by nature e.g evolutionary explanations of phobias.
-it makes it difficult to determine whether nature or nurture are more influential in causing phobias.
How is the behavioural explanation of phobias over simplistic?
- the cognitive spirits proposed that phobias may develop as the consequence of irrational thinking
-the Diathesis-stress model suggests that phobias are blood caused by any one factor m m, but that the individual has a genetic pre-disposition to phobias which is triggered by environmental stimuli.
-this is a limitation as psychologists ago agree with the diathesis-stress model would suggest that the behavioural explanation of phobias does bout provide a holistic explanation.
What is systematic desensitisation?
- A behavioural therapy designed to gradually reduce phobic anxiety through the principle of classical conditioning. The patient is take a new association (relaxation) that runs finer to the original association (fear)
What is relaxation?
The first stage of therapy is where the therapist teaches the patient relaxation techniques e.g. deep breathing
What is the anxiety hierarchy?
The therapist and client establish the least to most fearful situation of the phobic stimuli.
What is exposure?
The patient is exposed to the office stimulus in a relaxed state across several sessions, starting at the bottom of the anxiety hierarchy. The patient rotors their the hierarchy gradually being relaxed at each exposure until the most feared step is resolved to with relaxation .
How can you tell when Systenatic desensitisation is successful?
When the patient can relaxed in situations high on their anxiety hierarchy.
The bond between the CS & CR is broken by replacing the fear response with relaxation.
What are the evaluation points for systematic desensitisation as a treatment for phobias?
(+) Supported by evidence
(+) No side effects
(-) Only works with some phobias
(-) Time consuming
How is systematic desensitisation supported by evidence?
-it is effective at treating simple phobias
-there is scientific evidence to suggest that is it highly effective. E.g. Gilroy et al followed up 42 patients who had been treated for a spider phobia in 3 45min sessions of SD. 3 months & 33 months after the treatment the SD vertigo was less fearful than the control group.
