Behavioural approach to explaining/treating phobias

• How does Mowrer (1960) use the behavioural approach to explain phobias?

  The two process model - phobias are acquired by classical conditioning and are continued by operant conditioning
• What is an example of classical conditioning?

  Little Albert - Watson and Rayner 1920

  Rat (NS) and causes no fear before conditioning

  Loud bang (UCS) causes fear and anxiety before conditioning

  Rat (CS) is paired with loud bang (UCS) during conditioning which causes fear (UCR)

  Rat (CS) is shown to Little Albert = fear (CR)

  Fear is generalised to similar objects e.g. Santa's beard
• What is operant conditioning in explaining phobias?

  Behaviour is reinforced/punished

  Pos reinforcement = frequency of behaviour is increased

  Neg reinforcement =frequency of avoidance behaviour is increased

  Mowrer said when phobic stimulus is avoided we escape fear we would've experienced + reduction in fear/anxiety reinforces avoidance so phobia is maintained
• What is SD in behavioural approach to treating phobias?

  • Behavioural therapy designed to gradually reduce phobic anxiety through classical conditioning (there are 3 process involved)
  • Teaches patient to associate new response, relaxing, with phobic stimulus to be cured
  • Learning the different response = counterconditioning
• What are the three processes in SD

  Anxiety hierarchy, relaxation techniques, exposure
• What is the anxiety hierarchy?

  List of situations related to the phobic stimulus that provoke anxiety arranged in order from least frightening to most frightening by therapist and client with phobia
• What are relaxation techniques?

  Therapist teaches the client to relax as deeply as possible (e.g. breathing exercises, meditation) and reciprocal inhibition suggests you can't have anxiety and be relaxed at the same time
• What is exposure?

  Client is exposed to stimulus in relaxed state, starting at the bottom of their anxiety hierarchy gradually ascending --> treatment is successful when the client can stay relaxed in situations high on the hierarchy
• Advantages of SD when treating phobias

  • Evidence for effectiveness - Wechsler et al (2019) concluded that SD is effective for specific phobias
  • Can be used to help people w/ learning disabilities rather than unsuitable cognitive therapies
  • Suitable for diverse range of patients because the patient controls the pacing of each stage
  • Acceptable to patients as they tend to choose SD more often than flooding as SD doesn't bring up trauma
  • Real world application in VR as exposure through VR can be used to avoid dangerous situations
• What are the disadvantages of SD in treating phobias?

  • Less effective with agoraphobia so may not help every client
  • Wechsler et al (2019) also suggests that VR exposure may be less effective than real exposure because it lacks realism
• What is flooding in the treatment of phobias?

  Involves overwhelming individual's senses with immediate exposure to phobic stimulus without the gradual buildup of an anxiety hierarchy
• How does flooding work?

  • Stops phobic responses very quickly
  • Extinction occurs because there's no option for avoidance behaviour and client learns stimulus is harmless
  • Learned response is extinguished as conditioned stimulus is encountered without unconditioned stimulus
  • Conditioned stimulus no longer produces conditioned response fear
  • Client must give fully informed consent to this
• What are the advantages of flooding?

  • Not unethical - client gives informed consent and given option between flooding and SD
  • Cost effective - flooding uses fewer sessions compared to SD + more people can be treated at the same cost
• What are the disadvantages of flooding?

  • Traumatic, unpleasant experience involving confronting phobia in extreme way, provoking lots of anxiety - Schumacher et al (2015) found ppts/therapists rated flooding as more stressful than SD
  • Attrition rates are higher than for SD - therapists may avoid using flooding
  • Less effective for social phobias which are more complex w/ cognitive aspects
  • They only mask symptoms + don't tackle underlying causes of phobias