acquisition of phobias

• how does the behavioural approach suggest phobias are acquire

  the two process model
• what is the behavioural approach

  a way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable in terms of learning
• how are phobias acquired

  classical conditioning
• how are phobias maintained

  operant conditioning
• what is classical conditioning

  learning by association
• what is operant conditioning

  a form of learning where behaviour is shaped and maintained via consequences
• what study looked at how phobias are acquired

  little albert
• outline the study on little albert

  • psychologists created a phobias in him
  • he displayed no signs of anxiety at first when he played with a rat
  • next, when the rat was displayed it was accompanied by a loud bang
  • the noise = unconditioned stimulus
  • fear = unconditioned response
  • rat = neutral stimulus
  • when the rat and the noise are together it created a now conditioned response of fear
• outline how phobias are maintained

  • operant conditioning takes place when a behaviour is reinforced or punished
  • reinforcement increases the frequency of a behaviour
  • negative reinforcement - an individual avoids an unpleasant situation which results in a positive outcome, so behaviour is repeated
  • when we avoid a phobic stimulus we avoid the fear and anxiety that would've came if we remained there
  • reduction in fear reinforces the avoidant behaviour so the phobia is maintained
• explain why the two process model has good explanatory power

  • it explained how phobias could be maintained over time
  • has important implications in therapies as it explains why patients should be exposed to their phobia
  • use of systematic desensitisation has displayed its effectiveness
  • application to therapy is a strength of the two process model
• limitation for the explanation of avoidance behaviour

  • not all avoidance behaviour is due to anxiety reduction in complex phobias e.g. agoraphobia
  • avoidance behaviours may be motivated by feelings of safety
  • people actions may not be driven by the need to avoid the phobic stimulus
  • may explain why people with agoraphobia often attempt to leave their house with someone they trust as they act as a safety net
• not the sole explanation

  • the two process model only tells us how phobias are acquired if they are followed by trauma
  • sometimes people develop a phobias despite not having a bad experience
  • some phobias are acquired by social learning
  • a child may see their parents react fearfully to something and then avoid it to reduce their anxiety
  • if this is done by the same sex parent it is likely that the behaviour will be repeated by the child