KKP3: Specific phobia and its contributing factors

Define the biopscyhosocial approach

a holistic, interdisciplinary framework for understanding the human experience in term of the influence of biological, psychological and social factors

define biological factors

internal, genetic, and/or physiologically based factors

what are the two biological factors that contribute to specific phobias

• Long term potentiation

• Gaba dysfunction

define psychological factors

internal factors relating to an individual’s mental processes, including their cognition, affected, thoughts, beliefs and attitudes

what are the two psychological factors that contribute to specific phobias

• Precipitation by classical conditioning

• Perpetuation by operant conditioning

define social factors

external factors relating to an individual’s interaction with others and their external environment including their relationships and community involvement

what are the two social factors that contribute to specific phobias

• environmental triggers

• stigma

Detail GABA dysfunction (relation to glutamate, type of neurotransmitter, what does it cause ect)

• GABA and glutamate are the primary neurotransmitters that work together to regulate the level of arousal of the CNS

• GABA = inhibitory neurotransmitter (makes post synaptic neuron less likely to fire an action potential)

  • balances the excitatory effects of glutamate— regulation of the CNS thus reducing the body’s response to stress

• dysfunctional GABA can cause excessive anxiety due to an elevated stress response caused by the release of glutamate during the FFF response— a failure to produce, release or receive GABA signals results in insufficient inhibitory signal to adequately regulated heightened arousal caused by the excitatory neurones being too active

• Low GABA means FFF is more easily activated thus the likelihood of developing a phobia is increased

Define GABA dysfunction

The failure to produce, release or receive the correct amount of GABA

define long term potentiation

the long-lasting and experience dependent strengthening of synaptic connections that are regularly coactivated.

Explain how long term potentiation contributes to the development of a specific phobia

• Can strengthen the association between the phobic stimulus and a fear or anxiety response through the repeated activation of the same neural pathways

  • These connections are activated through the various encounters with the phobic stimulus or thinking about past or future encounters which strengthens the connections making it less likely they will be forgotten/

define precipitate

triggers the onset or exacerbation of a mental disorder

define perpetuation

prolonging of the occurrence of a mental disorder and preventing recovery

define classical conditioning

a simple form of learning that occurs through the repeated association between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response.

define operant conditioning

a type of learning process in which the likelihood of a voluntary behaviour occurring its determined by its consequences.

Classical conditioning can _______ a specific phobia whereas operant conditioning can ___________ a specific phobia

precipitate, perpetuate

outline some characteristics of a specific phobia

• diagnosed anxiety disorder

• irrational and intense fear of a particular object or event

• persistent for more than 6 months

• always maladaptive

• exposure to the phobic stimulus triggers an involuntary anxiety response

Detail the structure of the three phase model of classical conditioning in question format

NS(________) elicits no response. UCS(__________) elicits an UCR(___________) in response to (___________)

During conditioning:

Repeated pairing of the NS presented immediately before the UCS to elicit UCR.

After conditioning:

Due to repeated pairing, an association id made and the CS(______) elicits the CR(_________) in response to (___________)

What is the three phase model of operant conditioning

• Antecedent

• Behaviour

• Consequence

(ABC model😌)

define and detail how avoidance behaviour relate to the development of specific phobias

Avoidance behaviour: actions a person takes to escape from difficult thoughts and feelings

• when a person confronts a phobic stimulus or thinks they may have to confront it, using avoidance behaviours reduces or removes the unpleasant feelings of fear associates with the stimulus

• This makes them more likely to avoid the phobic stimulus in future, continuing the fear cycle (operant conditioning- negative reinforcement)

Define negative reinforcement

when behaviour is followed by the removal of an undesired stimulus, increasing the likelihood of the behaviour occurring again

Describe what is meant by specific phobias are precipitated by classical conditioning

The association between the anxiety/fear response and phobic stimulus, as precipitating factors involve any factors that increase the susceptibility to development of specific phobias

e.g if someone is bit by a dog, then experiences a fear/anxiety repose, next time they see a dog they are likely too experience the same response, this is a form of classical conditioning

Describe what is meant by specific phobias are perpetuated by operant conditioning

When a person is confronted by a phobic stimulus or thinks they may be, they use avoidance behaviours to reduce their unpleasant feelings of anxiety, increasing the likelihood of them avoiding the phobic stimulus in future and continuing the fear cycle.

Define cognitive biases

the tendency to think in a way that involved error of judgement and faulty decision-making

What are the two cognitive biases in AOS 2 unit 4

1. memory bias

2. catastrophic thinking

define memory bias

distorted thinking that either enhances or impedes the recall of a memory or alters it’s content

Define catastrophic thinking

a cognitive bias that involves overestimating and exaggerating the worst possible outcomes to situations even though they are unlikely to occur.

Describe how catastrophic thinking relates to the development of a specific phobia

when thinking about a phobic stimulus encounter, people with a specific phobia tend to predict the worst outcomes, which is unrealistic and irrational

Describe how memory bias relates to the development of a specific phobia

• Specific phobia related memory bias is often distorted and exaggerated fears

• By focusing on a fearful/negative experience e.g. a person with a fear of moths may imagine them much larger than they are

• By minimising or forgetting positive or contradictory info e.g. all time stimulus has been peaceful and not dangerous

Define specific environmental trigger

an object or situation/circumstance that probably caused a direct, negative traumatic experience associated with extreme fear or discomfort, which then acts as a cue for future phobic fear responses

detail how specific environmental triggers can contribute to the formation of a specific phobia

• observing a frightening event can result in a phobia e.g witnessing a car accident

• Traumatic events increase the likelihood of a phobia formation even if only observed once

What are the three types of environmental trigger, give an example of each

1. Direct confrontation eg. being bitten by a dog and developing a phobia

2. observation eg. James watches Clair get bitten by a dog and develops a phobia

3. Learning/ indirect confrontation eg. Troy learns about the dangers of dog attacks from a book and develops a phobia

Detail how stigma can lead to the perpetuation of a phobia

• negative stereotypes and prejudices associated with stigma may also lead to discrimination

• Because specific phobias are irrational fears, stigma is increasingly likely as people find it harder to empathise

• This may result in the person feeling less comfortable seeking help

Define stigma

the feeling of shame or disgrace experienced by an individual for a characteristic that differentiates them from others

Explain the structural changes that occur as part of long term potentiation

• Occurrence of structural growth pop dendritic spines

• Strengthening of neural connection

• Growth of axon terminal

What are the four points to hit for the 4 mark ‘explain the role of GABA dysfunction in specific phobias’

1. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that inhibits neural activation, balancing the excitatory effects of the neurotransmitter glutamate and leading to calmness.

2. This means that the specific features of the body's response to stress such as increased heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure are decreased.

3. GABA dysfunction can lead to specific phobias due to decreased sensitivity in GABA receptors, which can lead to a person's fight-flight-freeze or anxiety response to be activated more easily than a person with adequate GABA stimulation.

4. This means that, for some people, the stress response is more easily triggered by certain stimuli. This recurrent stress response to specific stimuli can lead to the development of a phobia.

Explain why some people who experience traumatic events do not develop a phobia

• Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event develops a phobia because various factors such as genetic predisposition, coping mechanisms, resilience, and social support can influence the outcome.

• Individuals with strong coping strategies or adequate social support may be able to process the event without developing a lasting fear.

What differentiates a phobia from stress and anxiety

it is persistent, irrational and intense