The Behavioural Approach To Explain Phobias

What is the behaviourist approach?

A way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable and in terms of learning.

What is the two -process model?

An explanation for the onset and persistence of disorders that create anxiety, such as phobias. The two processes are classical conditioning for onset and operant conditioning for persistence.

What is classical conditioning?

Learning by association. Occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired together - an unconditioned stimulus and a new, ‘neutral‘ stimulus. The neutral stimulus eventually produces the same response that was first produced by the unconditioned stimulus alone.

What does the behavioural approach emphasise?

The role of learning in the acquisition of behaviour. The approach focuses on behaviour - what we can see.

What did Mowrer propose?

The two-process model based on the behavioural approach to phobias. This states that phobias are acquired by classical conditioning and then continue because of operant conditioning.

What does classical conditioning involve?

Learning to associate something we initially have no fear (NS) with something that already triggers a fear response (US).

What was the procedure of Watson and Rayner?

They aimed to create a phobia in a 9 month old. Albert showed no usual anxiety at the start of the study, when shown a rat. he tried to play with it. Whenever the rat was presented to Albert, the researchers made a loud frightening noise by banging an iron bar close to his ear. The noise acted as an US, creating an UCR of fear.

What were the findings of Watson and Rayner’s research?

When the rat (NS) and the UCS are encountered close together, in time, the NS becomes associated with the UCS and now both produce the fear response (CR). The rat is now a conditioned stimulus.

Albert displayed fear when he saw a rat. This conditioning also generalised to similar objects. Albert was shown other furry objects like a non-white rabbit, a fur coat and Watson wearing a Santa Claus beard made out of cotton balls. He displayed stress at the sight of all of these.

What is operant conditioning?

A form of learning in which behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences. Possible consequences of behaviour include positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement or punishment.

What usually happens to responses acquired by classical conditioning?

They decline over time. However, phobias are often long-lasting. Mowrer has explained this as the result of operant conditioning.

When does operant conditioning take place?

When our behaviour is reinforced (rewarded) or punished.

When does reinforcement tend to increase?

The frequency of a behaviour. This is true of both negative and positive reinforcement.

What happens in negative reinforcement?

An individual avoids a situation that is unpleasant. Such behaviour results in a desirable consequence, which means the behaviour will be repeated.

What did Mowrer suggest?

That whenever we avoid a phobic stimulus, we successfully escape the fear and anxiety that we would have experienced if we remained there. This reduction in fear reinforces the avoidance behaviour and so the phobia is maintained.

What are the strengths of the two-process model?

• Real-world application.

• Phobias and traumatic experiences.

How is real-world application a strength of the two-process model?

It has real world application in exposure therapies. The distinctive element of the two-process model is the idea that phobias are maintained by avoidance of the phobic stimulus. This is important in explaining why people with phobias benefit from being exposed to the phobic stimulus. Once the avoidance behaviour is prevented, is ceases to be reinforced by the experience of anxiety reduction and avoidance therefore declines.

What does the real-world application mean?

It shows the value of the two-process approach because it identifies a means of treating phobias.

How is a link between phobias and traumatic experiences a strength of the two-process model?

The little Albert study illustrates how a frightening experience involving a stimulus can lead to a phobia of that stimulus. More systematic evidence comes from a study by Jongh et al. who found that 73% of people with a fear of dental treatment had experienced a traumatic experience, mostly involving dentistry (others had experienced being the victim of violent crime). This can be compared to a control group of people with low dental anxiety where only 21% had experienced a traumatic event.

What does the link between phobias and traumatic experiences confirm?

That the association between the stimulus and an unconditioned response does lead to the development of the phobia.

What is the counterpoint to the link between phobias and traumatic experiences?

Not all phobias appear following a bad experience. In fact, some common phobias such as snake phobias occur in populations where very few people have any experience of snakes let alone traumatic ones. Also, considering the other direction, not all frightening experiences lead to phobias?

What does the counterpoint to the link between phobias and traumatic experiences mean?

That the association between phobias and frightening experiences is not as strong as we would expect if behavioural theories provided a complete explanation.

What is the limitation to the two-process model?

• It does not account for the cognitive aspects of phobias.

How is the cognitive aspects of phobias a limitation of the two-process model?

Behavioural explanations, including the two-process model, are geared towards explaining behaviour. In the case of phobias the key behaviour is avoidance of the phobic stimulus. However, we also know that phobias are not simply avoidance responses - they also have significant cognitive element, ie irrational beliefs. The two-process model explains avoidance behaviour but does not offer an adequate explanation for phobic cognitions.

What does the cognitive aspects of phobias mean for the two-process model?

That it does not completely explain the symptoms of phobias.