Explaining phobias

• outline behavioural explanations for phobias?

  The behaviourist approach explains all behaviour as something that is both observable and learned. In 1960, Mowrer proposed the two process model to explain phobias, suggesting that they are acquired through association (classical conditioning) and maintained through reinforcement (operant conditioning). 
• outline how behaviourists use classical conditioning to explain phobias?

  During classical conditioning, the phobia is a neutral stimulus (NS), having no effect on the individual. When this is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) that produces the unconditioned response (UCR) of phobia characteristics, the NS will be associated with the UCS then the fear (phobia) will occur whenever the NS is presented. This means that the NS becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) and the UCR becomes the conditioned response (CR). This conditioning is then generalised to similar objects. 
• outline how behaviourists use operant conditioning to explain phobia?

  during operant conditioning, if a person avoids the phobic object or situation then anxiety is greatly reduced, which is rewarding for the sufferer, positively reinforcing the avoidant behaviour. Likewise, if the person comes in contact with the phobia then their anxiety is increased, negatively reinforcing this behaviour.
• outline the strengths of behaviourist explanations for phobias?

  supporting research of little albert

  practical applications in therapy
• elaborate on supporting research as a strength of behaviourists explanation of phobias? PART 1

  john Watsons 1920 case study of little Albert. At the start of the study, Albert showed no unusual anxiety or worries about different objects, and played with a white rat when it was presented to him. Over time watson and rayner produced a loud banging noise whenever the rat was presented. This meant that the fear response could be associated with the rat (NS), and a phobia had been created.
• elaborate on supporting evidence as a strength of behaviourists explanation of phobias? PART 2

  Watson and Rayner also showed that the CS could be generalised to similar objects;  when they showed Albert other fluffy objects, such as Father Christmas' beard made from cotton wool, a non-white rabbit, fur coat, Albert showed distress at all of these supporting the behaviourist approach to explaining phobia.
• elaborate on practical applications as a strength of behaviourists explanations of phobias?

  However, despite contradicting research and possible cognitive or biological influences, the behavioural explanation to phobias has provided practical applications as it has caused therapies such as flooding and systematic desensitisation to occur. McGrath found that 75% of patients with phobias respond positively to systematic sensitisation, suggesting that the behaviourist explanations have aided quality of life in society. 
• outline the weaknesses for behaviourists explanations to phobias?

  generalisation issues from little alberts case study

  biological explanations instead

  doesn’t take into account cognitive factors.
• elaborate on generalisation issues as a weakness for behaviourists explanations of phobias?

  as this is a case study, caution should be taken when generalising findings to the wider population. For example, other research has shown that, firstly, individual differences play a role in the development of phobias so it cannot be assumed that everyone would respond like Little Albert did, and secondly, evidence shows that some fears are more easily conditioned than others, so the results may not have been the same if a different neutral stimulus was used.
• elaborate on biological explanations as a weakness for behaviourists explanations of phobias? PART 1

  Leading on from this, seligman proposed that fears may be evolutionarily determined and genetically inherited to help us avoid and escape potentially dangerous situations. The most common phobias: snakes, rats, heights, spiders, darkness etc. are all things that are potentially dangerous and have been sources of danger in the past (and present). Some psychologists call this biological preparedness: an innate predisposition to acquiring certain fears.
• elaborate on biological explanations as a weakness of behavioural explations of phobias?

  Studies have found that rats could be easily conditioned to avoid life-threatening stimuli such as toxic liquidsand electric shocks, but it was difficult to condition them to avoid non-harmful stimuli such as flashing lights. These findings provide evidence against the behavioural approach because they suggest that there is an innate aspect to developing phobias and explain why certain types of phobia are more common, which the behavioural explanation cannot.
• elaborate on the lack of acknowledged cognitive influences on behaviourists explanations for phobias? PART 1

  Furthermore, the two-process model ignores and cannot provide an explanation for the cognitive elements of phobias such as cognitive distortions and irrational beliefs, providing more evidence that the behavioural approach is a limited explanation of phobias. For example, one study presented a series of slides of snakes and neutral images (e.g. trees) to participants with and without a phobia of snakes.
• elaborate on the lack of acknowledged cognitive influences as a weakness of behaviourists explanations for phobias? PART 2

  It was found that the phobic participants tended to overestimate the number of snake images presented (a cognitive distortion). In addition, some studies indicate that cognitive therapies are effective in treating phobias, further highlighting the importance of considering the cognitive aspects of phobias and not solely relying on the behavioural approach.