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Explaining phobias - Coggle Diagram
Explaining phobias
Operant conditioning
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A behaviour that is rewarding reinforces the chances of the behaviour being repeated in future similar situations .
An outcome of a behaviour that is pleasant is a positive reinforcer , while an outcome of a behaviour that results in escaping something unpleasant is a negative reinforcer
Explains how phobias are maintained , as when avoidance responses are made the fear response is reduced , reinforcing the avoidance responses , making them more likely to occur again
If someone has a phobia of the dark they might sleep with the lights on , which is negatively reinforcing as it reduces the fear response associated with being in the dark . This increases the chance of this behaviour happening again because anxiety was not experienced
Phobias therefore become resistant to extinction , because of the sufferer constantly making reinforcing avoidance responses
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Evaluation
Rachman (1984) put forward the safety signals hypothesis to explain that avoidance responses are made to reduce the chances of exposure to phobic objects/situations are not motivated by a reduction in anxiety as stated by the 2 process model but by positive feelings associated with safe places . He used the example of agoraphobics who will leave their house in the presence of certain people m or travel to work using particular roads , because these people and roads are ones that are trusted and therefore represent safety signals
Bounton (2007) argues that the 2 process model neglects the influence of evolution history , where avoidance responses are learned more rapidly if the required response resembles an animals natural defense behaviour
The effectiveness of behaviorist treatments , like systematic desensitisation , in addressing phobic symptoms , lends support to behaviourist explanations of phobias
The behaviourist viewpoint is weakened by the fact that not everyone experiencing traumatic experiences , like car accidents , go on to develop a phobia
A strength of behaviorist explanations is that they can be combined with biological ones to give better understanding of phobias . For example the idea of genetic vulnerability shows how some individuals are more susceptible to developing phobias through environmental experiences
Classical conditioning
Based upon the work of Ivan Pavlov (1903) , who explained how dogs learned to salivate in anticipation of being fed rather than when actually being fed
The process by which pavlov explained this as occurring can be also used to explain the acquisition of phobias , where the natural response that causes fear becomes associated with the neutral stimulus , so that the neutral stimulus by itself causes a fear response
Eg neutral stimulus - night time , paired with an unconditioned stimulus - frightening experience such as being mugged , produces an unconditioned response of fear. The night time is then the conditioned stimulus and the fear is the conditioned stimulus
The two process model
The onset of phobias is seen as occurring directly through classical conditioning , for example by the experience of a traumatic event ( like being bitten by a dog ) or indirectly through social learning theory , for example through observing or hearing about a fearful event happening to another ( like seeing someone else get bitten by a dog )
The maintenance of phobias is seen as occurring through operant conditioning , where avoiding or escaping from the feared object/situation acts as a negative reinforcer ( the reward being the reduction of anxiety ) . This reinforces the avoidance response ( makes it more likely to occur again )
Behaviorist explanations see phobias as being learned through experience via the process of association . In classical conditioning a stimulus becomes associated with a response , while operant conditioning involves learning behaviour due to consequences of that behaviour
There is also social learning theory where learning occurs vicariously by observation and imitation of another
Classical conditioning is associated with behaviour not under conscious control , whilst operant conditioning and social learning theory are associated with voluntary behaviour
Bagby (1922) reported on a case study of a woman who had a phobia of running water that originated from her feet getting stuck in some rocks near a waterfall . As time went by she became increasingly panic striken . Although she was eventually de-conditioned , the neutral stimulus of the sound of running water became associated with the fear she had felt and therefore her phobia of running water was acquired
Mowrer (1960) found that by making a few presentations of an electric shock to rats immediately following the sound of a buzzer , he could produce a fear response just by sounding the buzzer . The rats had acquired a phobia of the buzzer through CC. Then through OC he trained the rats to escape electric shocks by making the avoidance response of jumping over a barrier when the buzzer sounded . As this was negatively reinforcing , the rats repeated the behaviour every time the buzzer sounded , maintaining their fear of the sound of the buzzer
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