The Behavioural approach to explaining Phobias Flashcards
What is the behavioural approach?
Suggests that there are keys to understanding development are observable behvauour and external stimuli in the envirionment.
What animals were included in Skinner’s research?
Rats and Pigeons
When the rat pressed the lever and got food, what was that?
Positive reinforcement
When the rat moved of the grid to avoid being shocked, what was that?
Negative reinforcement
What is Operant Conditioning?
Learning by rewards/punishment
What was little albert conditioned to be in Watson’s research?
He was conditioned to be scared of a white rat paired with a gong.
What was little albert’s ‘phobia’ generalised to?
Anything white and fluffy
What is Classical Conditioning?
Association
Which conditioning did Skinner’s research consist of?
Operant Conditioning
Which conditioning did Watson’s research consist of?
Classical Conditioning
When was Mowrer’s two process model?
1960
What was the first step of Mowrer’s (1960) two process model?
Phobias are acquired or intiated through classical conditioning.
What was the second step of Mowrer’s (1960) two process model?
Phobias are maintained through operant conditioning.
How does Mowrer’s (1960) two process model work?
By avoiding the feared object to avoid fear and the anxiety and is therefore rewarding (negative reinforcement).
Escaping from an unpleasant situation-behaviour results in desirable consequence, behaviour will be repeated.
What is meant by Unconditioned?
Not learnt
What is meant by Conditioned?
Learnt it
What is meant by a stimuli?
Something in the external environment
What is meant by a response
A reaction to something
How are Phobias initiated?
- Unconditioned stimulus - Unconditioned response
- Unconditioned stimulus + Neutral stimulus - unconditioned response
- Neutral stimulus - Conditioned stimulus - Conditioned response
(Ao3) Watson research
✅Supportive empirical evidence
Watson and Raynes (1920)
Little Albert conditioned to be phobic of white rats,
Sound (UCS) with rat (NS),
Generalised to anything white/fluffy,
Classical conditioning would predict Little Albert learnt to be phobic
Behaviourists - all behaviours learnt,
Higher validity of the theory.
What was the aim of ‘Little Albert’ study?
To see if phobias can be learnt through classical conditioning
