Phobias Flashcards
What is phobia (classical conditioning)?
Phobias are an example of abnormal behaviour learned by association.
A fear response to a neutral stimulus arises when the neutral stimulus (NS) is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS), which leads to an unconditioned response (UCR), which then becomes a conditioned response (CR).
A traumatic experience early in life, leads to the conditioning of fear to that particular object or situation. This fear then generalises to similar objects or situations.
E.g., someone might develop a phobia of dogs
after being chased or bitten by one as a child. As an adult this leads to a general phobia of all dogs.
What is phobia (operant conditioning)?
Once a stimulus-anxiety association (CC) has been established it is maintained through operant conditioning.
If phobic behaviours are positively reinforced through increased attention,they may be repeated.
The avoidance of, or escape from, the phobic stimulus reduces fear and is thus reinforcing.
What is phobia (social learning)?
Bandura showed that children learned to imitate what they observed, particularly if the behaviour is rewarded (vicarious reinforcement).
If a role model shows fear of something (a phobia) then someone might imitate that behaviour, particularly if they observed the phobic behaviour being rewarded.
E.g. a child who has a parent with a spider phobia may observe their behaviour and also become afraid of spiders, so that they can receive a reward for their fear.
A common phobia is that of lifts.
Using the 3 theories can you explain how phobia could be acquired and maintained (CLASSICAL CONDITIONING)
A more common phobia is that of lifts, the classical conditioning explanation proposes that first a panic attack occurs, in response for instance, to being trapped in a lift. This results in an association being established between anxiety and that lift . Subsequently, this anxiety becomes generalised to all lifts. Consequently, the person will actively avoid using lifts in the future.
A common phobia is that of lifts.
Using the 3 theories can you explain how phobia could be acquired and maintained
(OPERANT CONDITIONING)
According to operant conditioning, phobias develop as a result of reinforcement of fear response ti objects or situations. In terms of the previous example above regarding phobia of lifts, the avoidance of lifts is further reinforced by the reduction in anxiety experience when the person adopts alternative strategies ,such as using the stairs. Any future avoidance of lifts will give positive reinforcement though feeling relaxed, thus motivating the individual to avoid similar situation in the future and as such phobia continues and is maintained.
A common phobia is that of lifts.
Using the 3 theories can you explain how phobia could be acquired and maintained
(SOCIAL LEARNING)
According to social learning theory, a phobia is acquired through the observation of others and particularly th consequems of the ‘others’ behaviour. If the role model shows fear of something than that fear may be imitated. e.g. a child watches her older sister running away or avoiding lifts. The older sister is hen seen being comforted by her parents who calm her down (vicarious reinforcement), then later the younger sister imitates the behavior she saw by running away from lift herself. This in turn is met wit the same comforting from her parents who might console her, but ends up reinforcing the fear.
Treatments for Phobias
Systematic Desensitisation (SD)
Graduated exposure:
- The client is brought gradually into contact with the phobic stimulus, following the hierarchy established with the therapist.
- At each stage of exposure, the client uses the relaxation techniques they have learned, to produce a state of relaxation.
- Only when full relaxation has been achieved does the treatment move on to a more intense exposure.
- The idea is that the object/situation becomes associated with calmness and the anxiety reaction is extinguished – this is counter-conditioning.
- You cannot be anxious and relaxed at the same time, so you are taught relaxation alongside the feared object.
Treatments for phobia
Flooding
- Flooding works by exposing the patient directly to the phobic object. E.g an individual with a fear of flying will be sent un in a light aircraft.
-At first the person is in a state extreme anxiety perhaps even panic, but eventually exhaustion sets in and the anxiety level begins to go down. Normally the person would do everything they can to avoid such a situation. In flooding, the individual has no choice but confront their fears and when the panic subsides and they find they have come to no harm. - Linking with CC: The learnt response is extinguished when the CS (i.e dog) in encountered without the UCS (bing bitten). The results in the CS no longer produces the CR
