Phobias

• AO1 1 (what are phobias)

  A phobia is am intense, persistent and irrational fear that significantly interferes with everyday functioning. The individual can be affected even by thinking about the object or situation, and their fight or flight instinct will be triggered causing sweating and higher heart rate
• AO1 2 (different types)

  1. Specific Phobias​ - intense and persistent fear of an object or situation
  2. Animal type​
  3. Natural environment (heights)​
  4. Blood Injection​
  5. Situational (airplanes, lifts)​
  6. Other​
  7. Social phobias​ - fear of situations in which an individual may be scrutinised and evaluated
  8. Agoraphobia - usually paired with a panic attack which develops into an intense fear of open or public places
• AO1 3 (how aquired)

  1. Classical Conditioning​ - A phobic object has been repeatedly paired with something that produced a fear response
  2. SLT – observe + imitate fear from RM
• AO1 4 (how maintained)

  1. Operant Conditioning​
  2. Positive reinforcement (give smth pos to increase likelihood)​
  3. Negative rein (take away smth bad to increase likelihood)​
  4. SLT – vicarious reinforcement
• :) Supporting evidence- W+R

  Watson and Raynor​ found that after 5 pairings, Little Albert could be classically conditioned to fear a white rat, by pairing the white rat with a loud bang from a metal bar which generated fear in Albert.

  T/f showing how phobias can be acquired via CC
• :( Issues with supporting evidence

  lacks population validity, one participant (Little Albert)