Behaviourist approach: Explaining and Treating phobias

Classical conditioning (acquiring phobias)

• Learnt by association

• Occurs when 2 stimuli are repeatedly paired together

• 1 is called the unconditioned stimulus

• The other is called the neutral stimulus

• These eventually produce the same response to the unconditioned stimulus creating a conditioned response

• Neutral stimulus becomes conditioned stimulus

Operant conditioning (maintaining phobias)

• Learning through reinforcing or punishment, if a behaviour is followed by a desirable consequence then that behaviour is more likely to occur again in the future

• Avoidance of the phobia stimulus reduces fear and is thus reinforcing, example of negative reinforcement

Stimulus generalisation

The tendency for the CS to bring out similar responses after the response has been conditioned

Higher order conditioning

In CC, a procedure where the CS of one experiment acts as the UCS of another, for the purpose of conditioning a NS

Evaluation points

Research support +

Ignores cognitive factors -

Practical applications +

Reductionist -

Alternative -

Systematic Desensitisation

The aim of the technique is to use the principles of association to replace he anxiety response with a relaxation response to remove the phobia

Key features of Systematic Desensitisation

Fear hierarchy: List of situations related to phobic stimulus that provoke anxiety from least to most and work through it

Relaxation training: Teaching the phobia sufferer relaxation techniques

• Breathing techniques

• Mental imagery

• Meditation

Graduated exposure: Client is exposed whilst in a relaxed state, this takes place over multiple sessions

Reciprocal inhibition: Once the client is relaxed they cannot be stressed at the same time

Evaluation points of Systematic Desensitization

Research support +

Incomplete treatment -

Ethics +

Individual differences -

Flooding

Based on classical conditioning and is similar to systematic desensitisation except exposure is all at once instead of gradual

The aim is to expose the sufferer to the phobic object and is largely done with In vivo (exposed to the actual stimulus) methods

Key features of Flooding

1. Immediate exposure of the person to the feared object, activity or event until theres no fear response

2. The person has to unlearn the connection between the stimulus and fear response (CS-CR broken)

3. Most people will run away or avoid feared object, flooding prevents escape

Evaluation points for Flooding

Research support +

Ethics -

Cost effective +

Limitations of application -