ao1

• who proposed the two-process model

  Orval Hobart Mowrer (1960)
• what does the two process model state

  that phobias are acquired by classical conditioning and maintained by operant conditioning
• who conducted the little Albert study

  John Watson and Rosalie Rayner
• what was the little Albert study

  Watson and Rayner created a phobia in a 9 month old baby called little Albert. Albert showed no unusual anxiety at the start of the study. when shown a white rat he tried to play with it.

  whenever Albert was presented with the rat, the researchers made a loud, frightening noise by banging an iron bar close to alberts ear.

  this noise is an unconditioned stimulus which creates an unconditioned response of fear. when the rat a neutral stimulus was paired with the UCS it then meant that the rat was associated with the loud noise and therefore the CS of fear
• what was generalised from the little Albert study

  similar objects. they tested Albert by showing him other furry objects such as a non-white rabbit, a fur coat and Watson wearing a Santa Claus beard out of cotton balls. Albert showed distress at the sight of all of these
• what is meant by acquisition by classical conditioning

  learning to associate something of which we initially have no fear of with something that already triggers a fear response
• who explained that phobias are maintained by operant conditioning

  Mowrer
• what did mowrer suggest

  that whenever we avoid a phobic stimulus we successfully escape the fear and anxiety that we would have experienced if we had remained there. this reduction in fear reinforces the avoidance behaviour and so the phobia is maintained