The behavioural approach to explaining phobias

What is the two-process model

Explains how phobias are learnt:

First stage - classical conditioning

Second stage - operant conditioning

Explain the initiation of phobias - classical conditioning

Phobia acquired through association between neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus

UCS (loud noise) —> UCR (fear)

NS (rat) + UCS (loud noise) —> rat now CS and fear now CR

Maintence of phobias - operant conditioning

The fear is reinforced or rewarded

Avoidance = negative reinforcement

Seeing dog causes fear = positive reinforcement

A03

1. Bad experience doesn’t always cause phobia

   1. Research: not everyone bit by a dog has a dog phobia. Some have genetic vulnerability to developing mental disorder, so only those who have that and have it triggered by a life event will have a phobia (diathesis-stress model)

2. Humans are genetically programmed to learn associations between life-threatening stimuli and fear

   1. Ancient fears are ones that would be dangerous in our evolutionary past, explains why were more likely to gain fears of them instead of modern objects (therefore behavioural approach cannot explain all phobias

3. Research suggests many people do have traumatic incidents connecting to their fear

   1. However not everyone who has a phobia can recall an incident, this could be due to forgetting