Behavioural explanations of phobias

• Mowrer's two-process model


  Explains that phobias are acquired through conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning
• Classical conditioning


  Associate a neutral stimulus (NS) with something that already triggers fear (UCS) to create a fear response (UCR)
• Operant conditioning


  Maintains the phobia as individuals tend to avoid the source of fear, reducing anxiety
• Negative reinforcement


  Something unpleasant is removed, resulting in a pleasant consequence which means the behaviour is likely to be repeated
• Fear won't be extinct because, in behaviourist terms, we need to unlearn the association between fear and the stimulus