Behavioural explanations

• what does the behaviourist approach believe?

  we learn and behave in response to our environment - either by stimulus - response association or as a result of reinforcement.
• what is conditioning?


  refers to a process of 'shaping' or changing a behaviour.
• what are the two most common behavioural explanations of phobias?

  classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
• how does classical conditioning explain how someone acquires a phobia?

  they could associate something from their environment (that causes a negative response) with something neutral. The neutral stimulus then produces the same negative response.
• what is generalisation in terms of phobias?

  a tendency for similar stimuli to evoke the same response as the conditioned stimulus.
• what case study is an example of phobia generalisation?

  Little Albert
• what is extinction in terms of phobias?

  the gradual weakening of a conditioned response that results in the behaviour decreasing or disappearing over time.
• what two researchers studies Little Albert?


  Watson and Raynor
• who outlined operant conditioning?

  BF Skinner
• How does operant conditioning maintain phobias?

  when applied to phobias, the avoidance or escape from the phobic stimulus and thus acting as a negative reinforcer, making the behaviour more likely to be repeated.
• who came up with the two-process model?

  Mower
• what is the two-process model?

  phobias are acquired as a result of classical conditioning and maintained by operant conditioning.
• what are strength of behaviourism and the two-process model?

  - can account for unusual phobias, as anything can become a conditioned stimulus if associated with an unconditioned stimulus that causes fear.

  - has application for therapy, because if something is learnt it can also be unlearnt. - counter conditioning.
• what are limitations of behaviourism and the two-process model?

  - does not take into account biological preparedness or evolution (some stimuli are dangerous to pre-technical humans) therefore is incomplete

  - some people may develop phobias with no traumatic event, so is not a complete explanation.

  - ignores cognitive aspects of phobias, so is not a full explanation.
• why is Little Albert being a case study a limitation?

  - not generalisable to the wider population

  - may not be representative

  - he could be unique
• why is Little Alberts study not ethical?

  - gave him a phobia, so causes psychological harm

  - he could not assent

  - he could not withdraw

  - mother gave consent but may have felt pressured as she worked and lived in the hospital.
• why is researcher/investigator bias an issue in Little Albert study?

  Watson designed and concluded the research, he knew the aim so could have been biased.

  Should of used the 'double blind' method to prevent this and improve objectivity.