The Behaviourist Approach to explaining phobias

Who came up with The Two Process Model?

Orval Hobart Mowrer

When did he come up with The Two Process Model?

1947

Hobart Mowrer (1947) - The Two Process Model: what are phobias learned through?

conditioning

Hobart Mowrer (1947) - The Two Process Model: what are phobias acquired through?

classical conditioning

Hobart Mowrer (1947) - The Two Process Model: what are phobia maintained through?

operant conditioning

Who carried out the Little Albert study?

Watson and Rayner

When did Watson and Rayner carry out the Little Albert study?

1920

Watson and Rayner (1920): before conditioning - rat?

neutral stimulus

Watson and Rayner (1920): before conditioning - Albert?

no response

Watson and Rayner (1920): during conditioning - loud noise?

unconditioned stimulus

Watson and Rayner (1920): during conditioning - rat?

neutral stimulus

Watson and Rayner (1920): during conditioning - Albert showing fear?

unconditioned response

Watson and Rayner (1920): after conditioning - rat?

conditioned stimulus

Watson and Rayner (1920): after conditioning - albert showing fear?

conditioned response

Watson and Rayner (1920): diagram?

…

How operant conditioning could help maintain a phobia: when does operant conditioning take place?

when behaviour is reinforced or punished

How operant conditioning could help maintain a phobia: what does reinforcement do?

encourages/increases a behaviour

How operant conditioning could help maintain a phobia: what is negative reinforcement?

taking something bad away to encourage a behaviour

How operant conditioning could help maintain a phobia: what does avoiding a phobic stimulus cause?

causes you to not feel anxious and no harm comes to you

How operant conditioning could help maintain a phobia: therefore, how are you rewarding yourself?

by avoiding the phobic stimulus - results in a desirable consequence meaning the behaviour will be repeated

How operant conditioning could help maintain a phobia: how is the avoidance behaviour maintained negatively reinforced - maintaining the phobia?

whenever we avoid a phobic stimulus we avoid the fear and anxiety that is associated with it

Evaluation ✔ - P: what has the two-process model theory led to?

treatments of phobias

Evaluation ✔ - Ev: what two treatments of phobias have been developed following the behaviouist explanation?

systematic desensitisation and flooding

Evaluation ✔ - Ex: why can phobias be treated?

through understanding the conditioning behind the development of phobias - can therefore be treated and improving the quality of life for paitients

Evaluation ✔ - L: therefore, what does the two-process model have?

the two-process model has real-life application

Evaluation X - what is wrong with this explanation?

an incomplete explanation

Evaluation X - Ex: what should always lead to a phobia, that doesn’t always?

if a neutral experience is paired with a fearful stimulus

Evaluation X - Ev1: what research suggests that some of us are more genetically predisposed to gaining a phobia than others?

Di Nardo et al.1988

Evaluation X - Ev2: what is the model Di Nardo et al. 1988 came up with?

the diathesis-stress model

Evaluation X - L: therefore, what may there be more to?

more to what makes us develop a phobia than just conditioning

Strength - P: what does the two-process model work alongside?

social learning theory

Strength - Ev: what does SLT suggest we learn our phobias through?

imitation - For example, a parent responding to a spider with extreme fear could lead to a child learning and then imitating that reaction

Strength - Ex: While this explanation does not explain phobias through conditioning, what does it consider?

the effect of the environment (as opposed to biological factors) as the two-process model does

Strength - L: therefore, what does the two-process model fit with?

other nurture theories such as SLT

Weakness - P: what is the reason that phobias sometimes don’t develop due to?

biological preparedness

Weakness - Ex: why may phobias sometimes not develop following conditioning?

as we are more likely to develop a phobia for something that would have been dangerous to us in an evolutionary past

Weakness - Ev: what would this explain about the different phobias people develop?

explain why people are more likely to develop phobias for things such as snakes and spiders - rather than modern objects like toasters and cars (that are much more dangerous)

Weakness - L: therefore, what can biological preparedness explain, that the two-process model can’t?

explain why some phobias develop and others don’t