Operant conditioning

• Classical conditioning doesn’t explain how phobias decay over time.
• Mowrer claims that most phobias are long term and are maintained through operant conditioning
• Operant conditioning explains that phobias can be negatively reinforced, by people avoiding their phobias.
• Avoiding your phobias reduces anxiety, and therefore negatively reinforces their behaviour, making you more likely to repeat the behaviour and maintain the phobia.
• According to the two process model, phobias are initiated through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning