the behaviourist response to explaining phobias

who proposed the 2 Process Model to treating phobias?

Orval Hobart Mowner (1960)

describe the 2 Process Model of treating phobias:

• stage 1: classical conditioning (how phobias are initiated)

• stage 2: operant conditioning (how phobias are maintained)

give 2 strengths of the 2 Process Model:

• RWA - exposure therapy (e.g. systematic desensitisation) based on the idea that phobias are maintained by avoidance

• Little Albert - Watson and Rayner (1920) shows a link between traumatic experiences and phobias

give 4 limitations of the 2 Process Model:

• does not account for cognitive aspects of phobias e.g. irrational beliefs held by people w/ phobias, phobic cognitions

• reductionist - reduces human behaviour to stimulus-response association

• subject to environmental determinism - ignores free will in phobia formation

• (counter to Little Albert) not all phobias stem from bad experiences e.g. few people w/ snake phobias have encountered snakes, instead this can be explained by Bouton (2007)’s theory of evolutionary factors. Seligmann (1971) called this biological preparation

name a key behaviourist study in explaining phobias:

Watson and Rayner (1920) - Little Albert

what was the aim of Little Albert (1920)?

to see if the Pavlovian principles of classical conditioning could be applied to humans

what was the method and result of Little Albert (1920)?

• initially Albert played happily w/ the white rat (NS)

• however when paired w/ a loud noise (UCS), Albert exhibited fear (UCR) in response to the loud noise

• after many repeats of the pairing, Albert exhibited fear (CR) in response to only the rat (CS)

• eventually this fear was generalised to other fluffy objects (e.g. Watson wearing a Santa mask)

what was the conclusion of Little Albert (1920)?

the principles of classical conditioning could be applied to humans

what are the strengths of Little Albert (1920)?

• RWAs of how phobias are initiated

• lab experiment - reliable, high variable control

what are the limitations of Little Albert (1920)?

• unethical - Albert had no protection from harm

• case study - difficult to generalise

• no control group

• lacks ecological validity - was not carried out in typical location

explain how operant conditioning plays a role in phobia maintenance:

• negative reinforcement - avoiding phobic stimulus results in a desirable consequence, meaning the behaviour is repeated

• (e.g. sleeping w/ a light avoids fear of dark)

• can explain social phobias/agoraphobia from a specific phobic e.g. being anxious about experiencing a panic attack in public (due to specific phobia), leading to an avoidance of open spaces