Explaining Phobias

Question 1

Classical Conditioning Explanation of Phobias

Answer 1

• Phobias created through Classical Conditioning
• Behaviour is learned through ‘stimulus response’ associations. Event in environment results in physiological reaction.
• Event and reaction forged into association. Fits in with idea that when someone has a phobia, have had past bad experiences.
• Example - person climbs to top of building and when looking down(stimulus) they feel sick (response), association develops fear of heights (Neutral stimulus). Avoid situations involving heights.
• Conditioned response causes the fear.

Question 2

Research for Classical Conditioning Explanation of Phobias

Answer 2

• Watson and Rayner - Little Albert was 9 months old, tested response to various stimuli, including white rat.
• Not afraid of rat (NS) , enjoyed its company.
• Showed a fear response to a loud noise (UCS) caused by hammer hitting an iron bar.
• At 11 months Watson and Rayner paired the loud noise and white rat and presented it to Little Albert repeatedly.
• After pairings Little Albert showed fear response to white rat alone (CS) and the fear generalised to fluffy animals.
• Learned a fear response through classical conditioning.

Question 3

Operant Conditioning Explanation of Phobias

Answer 3

• Phobias maintained through Operant Conditioning. Also explains avoidance.
• Behaviour is learned through consequences.
• Phobia reinforced as stimuli is avoided (negative reinforcement). Leads to avoidance being repeated and phobia being maintained.
• If person with phobia has severe fear response and gets a lot of attention then this is rewarding. (Positive reinforcement). Leads to maintaining phobia.
• Facing the phobic stimulus is punishment and facing it in the future is not repeated due to the fear response.

Question 4

Evaluation of the Behavioural Explanation of Phobias - Tested Scientifically

Answer 4

• lends itself to empirical study.
• Lab experiments - little Albert has clearly demonstrated the role if learning in conditioning behaviour.
• Strength - give support.

Question 5

Evaluation of the Behavioural Explanation of Phobias - importance of classical conditioning

Answer 5

• People with phobias often recall specific incident when phobia appeared.
• Example - arachnophobics are likely to explain their disorder due to a specific incident with a spider. UCS was when they were bit by the spider and the NS is the spider.
• Strength - supports role of classical conditioning in many people’s phobias. Theoretically useful.

Question 6

Evaluation of the Behavioural Explanation of Phobias - Doesn’t account of individual differences

Answer 6

• Example - 2 people may get bitten by dogs but maybe only one of these peoples develops a phobia of dogs although they both have the same experience.
• Weakness - ignores the mind and individual’s cognitive processes behind behaviour.

Question 7

Evaluation of the Behavioural Explanation of Phobias - No experience needed

Answer 7

• Doesn’t explain why people have phobias but they have never experienced the actual object.
• Lots of British people have phobias of snakes even though most of them have never actually come across one. Keuthen found that half of all phobia sufferers in a sample couldn’t remember any unpleasant experiences relating to the phobic object.
• Weakness - doesn’t provide an explanation for many people’s phobias.

Question 8

Evaluation of the Behavioural Explanation of Phobias - Determinisitc

Answer 8

• Does not acknowledge any choice or cognitive processes involved with developing a phobia.

Question 9

Evaluation of the Behavioural Explanation of Phobias - Reductionist

Answer 9

• Simplifies complex behaviour to a simple explanation.