Behaviourist Approach Explaining Phobias

• Phobias are learnt through experience
• Mower's Two Process Model

  Acquisition:

  • Classical conditioning, phobic action changes NS to CS with fear response using US, through association

  Maintenance:

  • Operant conditioning, avoidance behaviours = lower anxiety, negative reinforcement strengthens response
• Generalisation


  Conditioned fear response from similar conditioned stimuli
• (+) A03: Watson + Rayner


  Little Albert case study, showing Albert a rat and hitting a metal pole behind his head creating noise lead to phobic response, proving association
• (+) A03: Practical Application

  Applied to counter-conditioning therapies e.g. systematic desensitisation and flooding; suggesting the behaviourist principles they are based on are valid
• (-) A03: Modern View

  Humans dont show phobias towards objects that can cause the most pain e.g. cars, but do for spiders/snakes, suggesting phobias may be evolutionary rather than learnt