Barlow and Durand

• Barlow and Durand found evidence for the idea phobias are maintained through negative reinforcement because drivers avoided the feared stimulus, which helped reduce their phobias
• Barlow and Durand found evidence for the idea phobias are maintained through operant conditioning because drivers were reinforced for their avoidance behaviours.
• Many participants who could recall a traumatic event had not driven since the event.
• The results of this study support the idea that phobias are maintained through operant conditioning.