Behavioural explanation for phobias

• Mower argued that phobias are learned by classical conditioning and maintained by operant conditioning.
• Little Albert 


  Watson and Rayner showed how a fear of rats could be conditioned in 'little Albert'.

  Whenever Albert played with a white rat (NS) a loud noise was made close to his ear (UCS) which caused a fear response (UCR).

  The rat did not create fear until it was paired with the loud noise several times.

  Albert showed a fear response (CR) every time he came into contact with the rat (now a CS)
• Generalisation of fear to other stimuli. For example, little albert also showed a fear in response to other white furry objects including a fur coat and a santa beard
• Maintenance of a phobia

  Operant conditioning takes place when our behaviour is reinforced or punished. Negative reinforcement is where an individual produces behaviour that avoids something unpleasant. When a person with a phobia avoids a phobic stimulus they escape the anxiety that would have been experienced. This reduction in fear negatively reinforces the avoidance behaviour and the phobia is maintained.
• Evaluation

  One strength of the two process model is its real world application. The idea that phobias are maintained by avoidance is important in explaining why people with phobias benefit from exposure therapies like systematic desensitisation. Once avoidance behaviour is prevented it ceases to be reinforced by the reduction of anxiety. Avoidance behaviour therefore declines. This shows the value of the two process model as it identifies a means of treating phobias.
• Evaluation

  One limitation is the inability to explain cognitive aspects of phobias. Behavioural explanations like the two process model are geared towards explaining behaviour. However, we know that phobias also have a significant cognitive component. This means that the two process model does not fully explain the symptoms of phobias.
• Evaluation

  One limitation is the two process model doent explain learning and evolution. The two process model provides a credible explanation for how a person might develop and maintain a phobia. However, preparedness is an alternative explanation This is the tendency to develop phobias for things that presented a danger in our evolutionary past like snakes and heights etc. This means that the two process model does not explain some important properties of phobias.