The Behavioural Approach to explaining phobias

Question 1

What is the behavioural approach?

Answer 1

A way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable & in terms of learning

Question 2

What is the two-process model proposed by Mowrer?

Answer 2

• based on the behavioural approach
• states that phobias are acquired by classical conditioning & maintained by operant conditioning

Question 3

What is acquisition by classical conditioning (Little Albert e.g.) ?

Answer 3

• classical conditioning involves learning by associating a NS with something that already triggers fear
• banging noise is UCS and fear is the UCR
• the white rat was the NS associated with the noise (UCS) & now they both produce the fear response
• rat then becomes CS which triggers fear which is the CR
• conditioning was then generalised to other similar objects e.g. fur coat, white beard - little Albert displayed distress to all of these

Question 4

What is maintenance by operant conditioning?

Answer 4

• operant conditioning takes place when our behaviour is reinforced or punished
• reinforcement increases or decreases likelihood of behaviour to be repeated
• for negative reinforcement an individual avoid a situation that is unpleasant which results in a desirable consequence therefore is repeated
• Mowrer suggested that whenever we avoid a phobic stimulus we successfully escape the fear that we would’ve suffered
• this reduction in fear reinforced avoidance behaviour so phobia is maintained

Question 5

Evaluation: Good explanatory power

Answer 5

• 2-process model went beyond Watson & Rayner’s concept of classical conditioning
• it explained how phobias can be maintained over time & the importance for therapies as it explains why patients need to exposed to their phobic stimulus
• once patient is prevented from carrying out avoidance behaviour, it eventually declines
• this is a strength for the two-process model as it has real-life application to therapies

Question 6

Evaluation: Alternative explanation for avoidance behaviour

Answer 6

• not all avoidance behaviour associated with phobias results in anxiety reduction
• e.g. there is evidence that suggests that some avoidance behaviour is motivated by positive feelings of safety
• this explains why some patients with agoraphobia are able to leave their house with a trusted person but not alone
• this is a limitation for the two-process model which suggests that avoidance is motivated by anxiety reduction

Question 7

Evaluation: An incomplete explanation of phobias

Answer 7

• there are some aspects of phobic behaviour that need further explanation than classical & operant conditioning
• e.g. Bounton points out that evolutionary factors probably have an important role in phobias but isnt’t mentioned by the two-process model
• we easily acquire phobias of things that have been a source of danger in our evolutionary past e.g. snakes, dark
• this means its adaptive to acquire these fears & is known as biological preparedness
• it’s rare to develop fears of cars & guns most likely because they have existed recently so we aren’t biologically prepared to fear them
• the idea of preparedness acts as a limitation for the 2-process model as it shows that there is more to acquiring phobias other than conditioning

Question 8

Evaluation: Phobias that don’t follow a trauma

Answer 8

• some phobias follow a bad experience which are easy to see how they could be the result of conditioning
• however sometimes people develop a phobia & aren’t aware of having a bad experience related to it, which makes it harder to explain using the two-process model
• e.g. someone may have a fear of snakes even though they have never been near one
• this is a limitation for the 2-process model as it can’t explain the acquisition of all phobias