The Behavioural Explanations

• Mowrer (1947) - Two Way Process

  Proposed phobias are acquired through classical conditioning and maintained by operant conditioning

  Stage 1 = acquisition through classical conditioning

  • Person learns a fear a previously neutral stimulus (CS) when paired with a frightening event (UCS)

  Stage 2 = Maintenance through operant conditioning

  • Avoidance of the phobic stimulus reduces fear and therefore reinforcing
  • Negative reinforcement
  • Through avoidance the phobia is never challenged and is therefore maintained
• Role of social learning theory in phobias

  Phobias acquired through the modelling of others
• Little Albert = Watson and Raynor

  Case study conducted in a lab experiment to examine whether a fear response could be learnt by classical conditioning

  11-month-old who showed no previous response to objects

  They struck a metal pole with a hammer each time he reached for the rat -> this was repeated 3 times -> little Albert then showed fear to rats -> this was generalised to all similar objects
• A03 Strengths

  The behaviourist explanation has led to some very successful therapies (systematic desensitization) which has been shown to be extremely successful in the treatment of phobias. Therefore, if the treatment is successful, the explanation must have merit and therefore validity

  Support from Watson and Rayner (1920) (Little Albert) demonstrates how classical conditioning can the cause of a phobia as Little Albert learned to associate two items that would not be normally associated causing him to later be phobic of white rats
• A03 Limitations (continued)

  This is a nurture concept as it suggests that we learn it from the environment therefore ignoring the idea that phobias can be innate and inherited

  The diathesis stress model suggests that we inherit the genetic vulnerability for developing mental disorders but it only manifests if it's triggered by an event which is more than just conditioning
• A03 Limitations

  The behaviourist explanation has led to some very successful therapies (systematic desensitization) which has been shown to be extremely successful in the treatment of phobias. Therefore, if the treatment is successful, the explanation must have merit and therefore validity

  Support from Watson and Rayner (1920) (Little Albert) demonstrates how classical conditioning can the cause of a phobia as Little Albert learned to associate two items that would not be normally associated causing him to later be phobic of white rats