Behavioural approach to explaining phobias

• Behavioural approach emphasises role of learning in a particular behaviour  

  • This approach focuses on the behavioural characteristics of phobias 
  • Panic, avoidance and endurance  
  • This approach focuses on explaining these three behaviours rather than the cognitive and emotional aspects 
• Phobias are acquired by classical conditioning
• Phobias are maintained by operant conditioning
• Hobart Mower (1960)  

  • Proposed two-process model  
  • States that phobias are acquired by classical conditioning and continues because of classical conditions  
• Watson and Rayner (1920)  

  • Provided support for the idea that phobias are acquired through classical conditioning
• Outline how little Albert demonstrated that phobias are acquired through classical conditioning

  • Albert showed no unusual anxiety at the start when playing with white rat  
  • Whenever rat was presented in front of albert, it was accompanied by a loud, frightening noise created by banging on iron bar.  
  • Noise is UCS which creates unconditioned response UCR of fear  
  • Rat is NS but as the rat is accompanied by the UCS they become associated 
  • The rat become the conditioned stimulus (CS) which create the conditioned response (CR) of fear    

    
• Describe how phobias are acquired through classical conditioning

  1. The person forms an association between the neutral and unconditioned stimulus
  2. The neutral stimulus has now become the conditioned stimulus
  3. The person develops a conditioned response of fear to the conditioned stimulus
• Describe how negative reinforcement leads tot he maintenance of a phobia

  • When we avoid phobic stimulus we escape the fear and anxiety that we may have suffered  
  • This increases the frequency of the avoidance behaviour
  • Our behaviour has been negatively reinforced because were are avoiding an unpleasant experience