Behavioural approach to explaining phobias

What is Mowrer’s two-process model?

Phobias are acquired by classical conditioning, and continued because of operant conditioning

How does classical conditioning work?

Learning to associate something which we have no fear of (NS) with something that triggers a fear response (US), creating a CS.

How did Watson & Rayner (1920) create a phobia in ‘Little Albert’?

• Albert had no anxiety at the beginning - when shown a white rat he tried to play with it.

• Whenever the rat was presented to Albert, a loud, frightening noise was produced.

• Noise (US) = unconditioned response.

• Rat (NS) + Noise (US) are associated with each other, rat becomes CS, the fear when seeing the rat becomes the conditioned response.

• Albert distressed at sight of furry images similar to the white rat.

How does operant conditioning work?

Frequency of behaviour is increased when it is reinforced

What is positive reinforcement?

Behaviour is rewarded, therefore frequency increases

What is negative reinforcement?

Behaviour is repeated to avoid a negative consequence

How does Mowrer suggest phobias are maintained through operant conditioning?

Whenever we avoid a phobic stimulus, we escape the fear and anxiety we would have had - reduction in fear reinforces avoidant behaviour - phobia maintained.

How does the two-process model have real-world application?

• Exposure therapy - systematic desensitisation.

• Distinctive element of the model helps explain why people with phobias benefit from being exposed to phobic stimulus.

• Once avoidant behaviour is prevented, it ceases to be reinforced by anxiety and therefore declines.

What factors does the two-process model ignore?

Behavioural explanation - however phobias have a significant cognitive component, eg irrational beliefs. Model explains behaviour but not for cognitive processes - does not provide full explanation

What evidence is there for a link between phobias and traumatic experiences?

• Little Albert study shows how frightening experience can lead to a phobia of that stimulus.

• De Jongh et al. (2006) found that 73% of people with fear of dentists had experienced a traumatic experience, mostly dentistry, some violent crime. Low anxiety control group only 21% experienced trauma.

• Confirms association between stimulus and UR leads to development of phobia

What counterpoint is there for the evidence of a link between phobias and trauma?

Not all phobias are rooted from a bad experience - common phobias, eg snakes, appear in populations where very few have any experience of snakes, let alone trauma. Not all frightening experiences lead to phobias either - shows evidence to not be as strong, behavioural theories do not provide complete explanation

What are better explanations for phobias?

Seligman (1971) suggests evolutionary theory leads us to develop phobias that have presented danger in our evolutionary past - snakes and the dark - preparedness