LS6 - Classical & Operant Conditioning & The 2 Process Model

Question 1

Behavioural Model

Answer 1

Suggests all behaviour and phobias can be learnt and people who have an abnormality can learn negative behaviours

Question 2

2 Process Model

Answer 2

1. The phobia is learnt via classical conditioning/social learning
2. The phobia is maintained by operant conditioning

Question 3

Classical Conditioning

Answer 3

Involves building up an association between 2 different stimuli so that learning takes place.

Question 4

Watson & Raynor (1920)

Answer 4

White rat (neutral stimulus) is presented to a person, Loud banging noise (unconditioned stimulus) is presented which makes the person have an emotional response. The 2 stimuli are repeatedly paired together until classical conditioning and learning takes place to which they have an emotional response. When the white rat (conditioned stimulus) is now presented alone, an emotional response will take place (conditioned response). Showing learning has taken place via classical conditioning and an association has been established.

Question 5

Classical Conditioning Strengths

Answer 5

King (1998)

Question 6

Classical Conditioning Weaknesses

Answer 6

Ethical Issues
Traumatic Experience Without Classical Conditioning
Hydro Study

Question 7

King (1998)

Answer 7

Supports classical conditioning and found that children acquire phobias by encountering traumatic experiences with the phobic object/situation.

Question 8

Ethical Issues

Answer 8

The Little Albert study can’t be repeated due to ethical issues meaning results aren’t very reliable

Question 9

Remembering Traumatic Experiences (-)

Answer 9

Some people have traumatic experience e.g. car crash, without developing a phobia which isn’t explained by classical conditioning, and also some people have phobias without negative/any experiences with the object/situation.

Question 10

hydro (-)

Answer 10

Menzies - Studied people that had hydrophobia and found only 2% had encountered a negative experience with water, therefore 98% weren’t explained via classical conditioning. 50% of people who have a dog phobia have never had a bad experience with a dog, meaning learning didn’t cause the development of the phobia.

Question 11

Observational Learning

Answer 11

Where children might observe a reaction that their family have to particular situation and copy t, developing a phobia through observational learning.

Question 12

Animal Research Support (+)

Answer 12

Minneka - Found that when one monkey in a cage showed a fear response to snakes, the other monkeys in the cage copied the response extending it’s validity to animals.

Question 13

Operant Conditioning

Answer 13

Explains how the phobia can be maintained.

Question 14

Negative Reinforcement

Answer 14

Where someone scared of snakes will try to avoid snakes in order to reduce the risk they will feel fear

Question 15

Positive Reinforcement

Answer 15

Where someone will avoid snakes and find it rewarding and therefore continues to avoid snakes.

Question 16

Operant Conditioning Strengths

Answer 16

SLT Study
2 Clear Steps

Question 17

SLT Study (+)

Answer 17

Bandura - Supports SLT, he conducted an experiment whereby a person acted as if they were in pain when a buzzer sounded and pps were given the chance to hear the sound of the buzzer after seeing the person in pain and showed the same response, showing SLT does seem to be an effective method when learning to become fearful of an object

Question 18

2 Clear Steps

Answer 18

The model encompasses 2 clear steps, highlighting how phobias are learned/maintained - learnt by SLT, classical conditioning and then maintained through operant conditioning.

Question 19

Operant Conditioning Weaknesses

Answer 19

Ignore Other Factors

Doesn’t Explain Adults

Question 20

Ignores Other Factors (-)

Answer 20

It ignores other factors that could cause phobias e.g. biological/evolutionary factors.

Question 21

Doesn’t Explain Adults (-)

Answer 21

SLT explains how phobias are learnt in animals and young children but it isn’t strong explaining how adults have learnt phobias, limiting it to only explaining learning in young children and animals.