Behavioural Explanations Of Phobias Flashcards
Two process model - classical and operant conditioning
Mowrer (1960)
Phobias are learned through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning
Two-process model - Acquisition by classical conditioning
- UCS triggers fear response (UCR) e.g. being bitten by a dog creates anxiety
- NS becomes associated with the UCS - the dog did not cause anxiety prior to the bite
- NS becomes a CS - eliciting fear (now a CR). The dog becomes a CS causing a CR of fear/anxiety even without the bite
Two process model - Little Albert and conditioned fear
Watson and Raynor (1920)
- When Albert played with a rat, a loud noise was made next to his ear. The noise (UCS) caused fear response (UCR)
- Rat (NS) did not cause fear until the rat and the loud sound had co-occurred multiple times - thus forming Albert’s association between them.
- Albert showed a fear response (CR) every time he came into contact with a rat (now a CS)
Little Albert also generalised his fear to other stimuli - showing fear responses to any white furry objects such as a Santa beard or fur coat.
Two process model- maintenance by operant conditioning (negative reinforcement)
Operant conditioning involves the reinforcement or punishment of a behaviour
Negative reinforcement- an individual will produce behaviour in order to avoid something unpleasant
A phobic’s avoidance of a phobic stimulus means avoidance of the anxiety that would have accompanied the stimulus
The avoidance of this anxiety negatively reinforces the avoidance behaviour- thus maintaining the phobia
E.g. someone with a morbid fear of clowns (coulrophobia) will avoid circuses, birthday parties etc. to avoid coming into contact with clowns. The relief of this avoidance negatively reinforces the behaviour and the phobia is maintained/strengthened.
✅AO3- two-process model has good explanatory power
Important applications for therapy - as if a patient is prevented from practicing avoidance - then phobic behaviour will be seen to decline - supporting the theory of the two-process model.
❌AO3- alternative explanations for avoidance
Evidence from behaviours such as agoraphobia show that some avoidance behaviour is motivated by positive feelings of safety
explains why agoraphobics are often able to venture outside in the company of a partner or trusted friend - but not alone (Buck 2010)
Contradicts the two process model’s statement that all avoidance is motivated by anxiety reduction.
❌two-process model is an incomplete explanation of phobias
Some aspects of phobias cannot be explained simply by classical and/or operant conditioning.
Humans easily develop instinctive phobias of things that have been dangerous in our evolutionary past such as snakes, spiders, or the dark.
This idea of biological preparedness (we are innately prepared to fear some things more than others - Seligman 1971) is an issue for the two-process model as it shows clearly that there is more than conditioning involved in the acquisition of phobias.
❌AO3- not all bad experiences lead to phobias
It is evident that phobias CAN develop following a bad experience with the phobic stimulus,
However many people have a bad experience with a potentially phobic stimulus without developing a phobia.
Dinardo et al (1988) showed people being bitten by dogs and not going on to develop phobias
Suggests more than conditioning is at play- perhaps phobias only develop were a vulnerability is already present
❌AO3- Two-process model doesn’t consider cognitive aspects of phobias
Behavioural explanations as a whole are not focused on explaining the thinking behind behaviour
The two-process model explains phobias completely in terms of avoidance - but cognitive elements of phobias such as selective attention and irrational beliefs show that phobias clearly have a cognitive element which is being overlooked.
