Behavioural approach to phobias

• Two process model - Mowrer 1960


  How phobias are acquired ( Classical conditioning ) and then how they are maintained ( Operant conditioning )
• Two process model - Acquisition by classical conditioning


  Learning to associate something we have no fear for A neutral stimulus) with something that already triggers a fear response ( a unconditioned stimulus )
• Watson and Rayner 1920- Little albert


  • Albert (9 months old) shown a white rat and showed no fear
  • When rat was presented, researchers struck a steel bar causing a loud noise (unconditioned stimulus).
  • Loud noise then produced a fear response (unconditioned response).
  • After repeated pairings, Albert associated the rat (neutral stimulus) with the noise and the rat became a conditioned stimulus.

  This fear then generalised to other white furry objects
• Two process model - Maintenance by operant conditioning 


  Mowrer explained it through operant conditioning, negative reinforcement means we are more likely to repeat it
• EVALUATION - Two process model - Strength

  Real world application, used in exposure therapies e.g systematic desensitization
• EVALUATION - Two process model - Limitation

  • Does not account for the cognitive aspects of phobias
  • Only explains behaviour
• EVALUATION - Two process model - strength

  Evidence for link between bad experiences and phobias

  • Little Albert shows how a frightening experience involving a stimulus can lead to a phobias

  Jongh (2000s)

  • Found that 73% of those with a fear of dental treatment had a traumatic experience involving dentistry (Or a violent crime)
  • Control group was low anxiety with dental treatment with 20% having a traumatic experience

  COUNTERPOINT - Not all phobias stem from a bad experience e.g snakes
• Behavioural approach to treating phobias

  • Systematic desensitisation
  • Flooding
• Systematic desensitisation

  • Behavioural therapy with use of classical conditioning

  Three procedures:

  1. The anxiety hierarchy - Create a hierarchy with what is the most anxiety inducing at the top
  2. Relaxation - Therapist teaches client to relax as much as possible and introduces reciprocal inhibition
  3. Exposure - Client exposed to the phobic stimulus in a relaxed state, start at the bottom of hierarchy and move up across several sessions
• Reciprocal inhibition

  The idea you cannot be in a relaxed and anxious state at once
• Flooding

  • Exposure to phobic stimulus without the hierarchy
  • Flooding stops phobic response quickly due to the lack of avoidance

  1. The conditioned stimulus is encountered without the unconditioned stimulus
  2. The conditioned stimulus no longer produces the conditioned response

  Client must give full informed consent
• EVALUATION - SD - Strength

  Evidence of effectiveness - Gilroy et al (2003)

  • Followed up on over 42 people who has SD for 3 months in 45 min sessions
  • 33 months later they were less fearful than control group with relaxation bur no exposure
• EVALUATION - SD - Strength

  Can be used to treat those with learning disabilities and dangerous phobias can be used in VR
• EVALUATION - SD - limitation

  Not cost effective as takes longer
• EVALUATION - Flooding - Strength

  Cost effective, may only take 1 session
• EVALUATION - Flooding - Limitation

  It can be a traumatic experience and provokes extreme anxiety

  Schumacher et al (2015) Participants and therapists rated flooding more stressful than SD and may cause clients to drop out leaving them with a worse fear.