P: Behavioural approach to explaining phobias Flashcards
(22 cards)
What did Mowrer (1947) propose?
The two-process model
Who proposed the two-process model?
Mowrer (1947)
What does the two process model explain?
What approach is it based off of?
Explains how phobias are learned.
Based off of behavioural approach.
What are the two stages of the two-process model?
- Classical conditioning.
- Operant conditioning.
What is classical conditioning in the two-process model?
The initiation - why the phobia begins.
?What is operant conditioning in the two-process model?
The maintenance - why the phobia continues.
According to the two-process model, how is a phobia acquired?
Through association - the association between a NS and an UCS.
Who performed the Little Albert study?
Watson and Rayner (1920)
What study did Watson and Rayner perform?
The Little Albert Study (1920)
What did Watson and Rayner seek to demonstrate?
That emotional responses could be learnt through classical conditioning.
Describe Little Albert at the start of the study:
He showed no fear response to white furry objects - they were neutral stimuli.
How did Watson and Rayner create a conditioned response in Little Albert?
- Used a steel bar.
- When Albert reached out for the rat they struck the bar with a hammer behind his head.
- Repeated 3 times and did the same a week later.
Who was the subject of Watsons and Rayners study?
11-month-old boy.
Explain the classical conditioning in the Little Albert study:
- UCS was a loud noise and UCR was fear.
- Paired the loud noise with the furry object (NS).
- Furry object acquired the same properties as the UCS - association formed.
- Furry object is now the CS.
- Produces the CR of fear.
Explain how being bitten by a dog creates a phobia, according to classical conditioning.
- Being bitten (UCS) creates fear (UCR)
- Dog (NS) associated with being bitten (UCS)
- Dog (now CS) produces fear response (now CR)
What is also worth noting about Little Albert’s phobia?
It generalised to other furry white objects.
Showed anxiety when exposed to non-white rabbit, a fur coat and Watson wearing a Santa Claus beard.
What does classical conditioning not explain about phobias?
Why individuals continue to feel fearful, nor does it explain why individuals avoid the feared object.
Explain operant conditioning in relation to phobias:
- Likelihood of a behaviour being repeated is increased if the outcome is rewarding.
- In phobias, avoidance reduces fear and is thus reinforcing.
- This is negative reinforcement.
What type of reinforcement occurs in phobias?
Negative reinforcement.
Individual avoids the anxiety created by the phobic stimulus by avoiding them entirely - escaping from an unpleasant situation.
Explain how phobias may be acquired, according to social learning theory:
- May be acquired by modelling behaviours of others.
- Seeing a parent (model) react to phobia.
- Leads to imitation of behaviour - as child feels they are similar to parent (identification).
- Child is vicariously reinforced as fearful person gets attention or is happy/relieved that they avoided the phobic stimulus.
Write a PEEL paragraph about the importance of classical conditioning:
P - Two-process model supported by research asking people about their phobia.
E - People with phobias often recall specific incident when phobia appeared. However, not everyone can recall such an incident - it is possible that traumatic events did happen, but were forgotten.
E - Sue et al suggests that different phobias may be the result of different processes. E.g. agoraphobics were most likely to explain disorder in terms of a specific incident, but arachnophobics were most likely to cite modelling as the cause.
L - Demonstrats the role of classical conditioning in developing phobias but other processes may be involved in their maintenance.
Write a PEEL paragraph about how the behavioural approach is an incomplete explanation for phobias:
P - Incomplete explanation - suggests that if a NS is paired with a fearful experience the result should be a phobia - not always the case.
E - Research found that not everyone bitten by a dog develops a phobia of dogs. This could be explained by diathesis-stress model.
E -
L -
