The Behavioural approach to explaining phobias

• What is the main explanation for phobias under the behavioural approach?

  • The two-process model (Mowrer, 1947)
  • Phobias are acquired then maintained through classical + operant conditioning
• How does classical conditioning bring about the acquisition of a phobia?

  • Traumatic event (e.g. car crash) -> NS (car) paired with US (crashing) = UR of fear
  • Association between NS (car) + US (crashing) = CS (car) + CR of fear -> NS has taken on qualities of US + become a CS
• How does operant conditioning maintain a phobia?

  • People with phobia = more likely to avoid phobic stimulus -> avoiding phobic stimulus = anxiety-reducing = rewarding
  • Reward of reduced anxiety = avoidance becomes a negative reinforcer
  • This makes the avoidance of the phobic stimulus more likely in future + prevents opportunity for counter-conditioning through a neutral/positive experience with the stimulus to extinguish phobia
• Behavioural explanations for phobias A&E point 1: research support for two-process behavioural model

  • Watson + Rayner (1920) -> Little Albert study
  • Di Gallo (1996) -> 20% people experiencing traumatic car accidents develop phobia of travelling by car = acquisition of their phobia
  • Avoid car trips when possible
  • Supports theory that people will maintain their phobic reaction through negative reinforcement of reducing anxiety by avoiding stimulus
  • Munjack (1994) -> 50%+ people with phobia of cars had been in a car accident
  • DiNardo et al. (1988) -> same with dogs (60%)
• Behavioural explanations for phobias A&E point 2: lots of people with phobias can't relate acquisition to specific traumatic event

  • Ost (1987) -> may be due to forgetting event
  • BUT, Bandura + Rosenthal (1966) -> some can learn fear reactions through 'vicarious classical conditioning' = seeing fearful reaction to stimulus modelled by someone else (e.g. parents!)= person adopts fear response to stimulus
  • Sue et al. -> different types of phobias = different causes, e.g. arachnophobia usually learned through modelling
  • Two-process model can account for some but not all phobias!
• Behavioural explanations for phobias A&E point 3: strength can be found in how well phobic people respond to treatment built around two-process model's predictions

  • McGrath et al. (1990) -> c.75% patients respond positively to systematic desensitisation
  • Choy et al. (2007) -> flooding even more effective
  • Both treatments based on counter-conditioning -> overcoming phobias through counter-conditioning would be impossible if phobias were not based upon classical/operant conditioning
  • Must be some truth in Mowrer's model