Behaviourist explanations of phobias

Two process model

Mowrer

What does the two process model argue about phobias?

• phobias are created by classical conditioning

• phobias are maintained by operant conditioning (avoidance negatively reinforces phobias)

What study is key to creating phobias?

Little Albert (Watson and Rayner)

What are the 3 processes of learning phobias?

• classical conditioning

• operant conditioning

• social learning

What are the 2 methods of treating phobias?

• flooding

• systematic desensitisation

AO3 for behaviourist explanation of phobias

1. not a full explanation

2. biological role (preparedness)

3. role of cog. factors

4. social learning (imitation)

not a full explanation

Munjack et al → found that 50% of people with car phobias had never had a negative experience with cars and vice versa

not all people with phobias have had a -ve experience with the thing they have a phobia with

role of biology (preparedness)

• we are biologically prepared to learn associations to certain things

• specifically things that were threats to our ancestors

role of cognitive factors

• catastrophic thinking and irrational beliefs

• do they precede the phobia or are they symptoms of the phobia

• BOTH MAINTAIN AND INITIATE PHOBIAS

• Beck → people are more occupied with “fear of the fear”

social learning theory (imitation)

• Mineka et al → baby monkeys who were raised with parents who were scared of snakes were later presented with toy and real snakes were scared of both the real and toy snakes

• VICARIOUS REINFORCEMENT

Systematic desensitisation

• gradual exposure therapy

• exposure step by step to things they fear

• start with lowest fear event and get to highest

• patient taught relaxation tactics

flooding

• straight to the most stressful situation

• disconfirms overestimated danger

• very effective

AO3 of systematic desensitisation

• McGrath et al → worked for 60-80% of people with agoraphobia and 60-90% of people with OCD HIGH RELAPSE RATE

• short term

• cheap

• shown by research to be effective

AO3 of flooding

• Marks - flooding is more effective than SD

• Ost et al - 2-3 hr session, produced sig. and lasting effects

• unethical → traumatic and as SD has shown to be relatively equal to flooding, SD is preferable