Behavioural explanations and treatments of phobias

What is the two-process model of phobias?

• explains how classical conditioning acquires phobias, and operant conditioning maintains them

Who came up with the two-process model of phobias and when?

• Mowrer

• 1947

How does classical conditioning explain phobias?

• a neutral stimulus is paired with something that naturally causes fear (UCS)

• after association, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS), producing fear (CR)

How does operant conditioning maintain phobias?

• avoiding the phobic stimulus reduces anxiety (negative reinforcement)

• so the behaviour (avoidance) is repeated

Give two strengths of the behavioural explanations of phobias?

• there is research to support it

• there are positive implications for treatment

What research supports the behavioural explanations of phobias?

• Watson and Rayner (1920) showed Little Albert developed a phobia of white rats through classical conditioning

What are the positive implications for treatment?

• understanding that phobias are learned, helps develop effective treatments like systematic desensitisation

Give one weakness of the behavioural explanation of phobias.

• ignores cognitive and biological influences

• e.g. evolutionary explanations (Bouton, 2007) suggest we may be biologically predisposed to certain phobias

What is systematic desensitisation?

• a gradual behavioural therapy using a fear hierarchy and relaxation techniques

• the goal is counter-conditioning, where the feared stimulus becomes associated with relaxation instead of fear

What is flooding?

• a behavioural therapy that exposes the patient to the phobic stimulus immediately, preventing avoidance

• anxiety eventually reduces through extinction

Give one strength of systematic desensitisation.

• supporting research

• McGrath et al. (1990): 75% of phobic patients improved with this therapy. It’s also less traumatic than flooding and good for specific phobias

Give one strength of flooding.

• fast and cost-effective; exposes patients directly, which can quickly lead to extinction of fear

Give one limitation of behavioural treatments of phobias.

• not always effective for complex or social phobias; may not address the root cause of the phobia.

What is symptom substitution?

• when one symptom (e.g. a phobia) is removed through treatment, but another appears in its place because the underlying cause is still present