Characteristics of phobias

• What are all phobias characterized by?

  Excessive fear and anxiety
• How does the extent of fear in phobias compare to real danger?

  It is out of proportion to real danger
• What does DSM 5 recognize regarding phobias?

  Categories of phobic and related anxiety disorders
• What is a specific phobia?

  A phobia of an object or situation
• What is social anxiety also known as?

  Social phobia
• What is agoraphobia?

  Phobia of being outside or in public
• What are the behavioral characteristics of phobias?

  • Panic: crying, screaming, running away
  • Avoidance: effort to avoid phobic stimulus
  • Endurance: remaining in presence of stimulus
• How might a phobic person react to a phobic stimulus?

  They may panic with various behaviors
• What is avoidance in the context of phobias?

  Effort to avoid contact with phobic stimulus
• How can avoidance affect daily life for a phobic person?

  It can interfere with work and social life
• What is endurance in relation to phobias?

  Remaining near the phobic stimulus despite anxiety
• What emotional response do phobias involve?

  Anxiety and fear
• How does anxiety affect a phobic person?

  Prevents relaxation and positive emotions
• What is fear in the context of phobias?

  Immediate unpleasant response to phobic stimulus
• How does Ester's arachnophobia illustrate the emotional response to phobias?

  Her anxiety increases in spider-associated places
• What is disproportionate fear in phobias?

  Fear response exceeds actual danger posed
• What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias?

  • Selective attention to phobic stimulus
  • Irrational beliefs about phobic situations
  • Cognitive distortions of the phobic stimulus
• What is selective attention in phobias?

  Difficulty looking away from the phobic stimulus
• What are irrational beliefs in relation to phobias?

  Unreasonable beliefs about phobic situations
• How do cognitive distortions affect phobic individuals?

  They distort perceptions of the phobic stimulus
• How does classical conditioning explain the emergence of phobias?

  Through stimulus-response associations from past events
• What is the two-process model in phobia explanation?

  Classical and operant conditioning processes
• What does classical conditioning involve?

  Learning through stimulus-response associations
• What is the definition of classical conditioning?

  Learning by association between stimulus and response
• How can a bad experience lead to a phobia?

  It creates a conditioned response to a stimulus
• What is an unconditioned response (UCR)?

  An instinctive response not learned
• What is a conditioned response (CR)?

  A learned response through association
• What is an unconditioned stimulus (UCS)?

  Stimulus that naturally triggers a reaction
• What is a neutral stimulus (NS)?

  Stimulus that does not normally cause a reaction
• What is a conditioned stimulus (CS)?

  Neutral stimulus that triggers a learned response
• How does operant conditioning maintain phobias?

  Avoidance reduces fear, reinforcing behavior
• What is negative reinforcement in the context of phobias?

  Avoiding stimulus reduces fear and is rewarding
• How can attention for fear responses reinforce phobias?

  Attention for fear responses is rewarding
• What is the significance of the Little Albert study?

  It demonstrated classical conditioning of phobias
• What is a strength of the behavioral explanation of phobias?

  It can be tested scientifically through experiments
• What is a criticism of the Little Albert study?

  It has never been replicated successfully
• How does classical conditioning relate to specific phobias?

  Many recall a specific incident for their phobia
• What is a limitation of classical conditioning in explaining phobias?

  It ignores individual differences in responses
• What is a weakness of the behavioral explanation regarding phobias?

  It does not explain phobias without prior experience
• What is biological preparedness in relation to phobias?

  Genetic programming to learn fear of threats