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Behaviourism as an Explanation of Phobias. - Coggle Diagram
Behaviourism as an Explanation of Phobias.
The behavioural approach explains the development and maintenance of phobia using operant and classical conditioning
Mowrer 1947 proposed the two-process model as an explanation of phobias.
Classical conditioning: initiation.
Phobia is acquired through association.
This can be demonstrated in the Little Albert experiment.
Neutral stimuli were the white rat.
The unconditioned stimulus UCS was a loud band.
The unconditioned response UCR was fear.
The loud noise was paired with the white rat – or any white fluffy thing.
The Neutral stimuli begin to develop the same properties as the UCS and produce the response of fear. This now called the conditioned stimulus CS.
Watson and Raynor classically condition a fear of white rats in an 11 month old boy, Albert.
Over a period of weeks each time he plays with a toy white rat an iron bar is struck. At first this causes hesitation when dealing with the rat and eventually after 10 days he becomes distressed when the rat is seen.
The fear was immediately generalized to a toy white rabbit whereas fear of cotton wool and of a toy dog was not so pronounced (evidence of discrimination).
Operant conditioning: maintenance.
Classical conditioning does not explain how a phobia is acquired - in long term.
The next step is maintenance of the phobia. The likelihood of a behaviour being repeated is increased if the outcome is rewarding.
Such as negative reinforcement:
It is the removal of something unpleasant.
In terms of phobias:
Avoiding a situation that causes anxiety or fear. This is seen as rewarding by some behaviourists. If you suffer from a fear of heights your more likely to avoid height places.
Evaluation.
Reductionist.
The behavioural approach/two-process model of phobias can be criticised for being reductionist.
For example, the two-process model suggests that complex mental disorders such as phobias are caused solely by our experience of association, rewards and punishment (we learn all abnormalities including phobias)
This is a problem because the behavioural approach to explaining phobias can be seen to be too simplistic as it ignores the role of other factors such as our childhood experiences, everyday stressors and the role of biology (e.g. genes, neurotransmitters) in the development of abnormality.
Deterministic.
The behavioural approach/two-process model of phobias can be criticised for being deterministic.
For example, the Two-Process model suggests that when an individual experiences a traumatic event and uses this event to draw an association between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned response they will go on and develop a phobia.
This is a weakness because this theory of phobias suggests that we are programmed by our environmental experiences and ignores individual free will (for example, if a person is bitten by a dog this negative experience may not cause them to develop a phobia of dogs.
Scientific.
The behavioural approach to psychopathology is scientific and its key principals can be measured in an objective way.
For example, the phobia developed by Little Albert was clear for all to see and measure, variables could be manipulated and controlled to ensure that Little Albert’s phobia development was as a result of a neutral stimulus being associated with an unconditioned response
This is positive because it allows concepts such as classical conditioning to be demonstrated scientifically and has resulted in a large amount of empirical support for behavioural therapies.
Good explanatory power.
The two-process model has good explanatory power. This is because it explains how we get phobias but also how we maintain them. As a result, it has important implications for therapy.
For example, if a patient is prevented from practising their avoidance behaviour the phobic behaviour decline.
This model goes beyond Watson and Raynor’s simple classical conditioning explanation of phobias. This, this application to therapy is strength of the tow-process model.
Does not explain all.
The two-process model is that it does not explain that not all bad experiences lead to phobias.
For example, some individuals cannot recall a traumatic incident that triggered the onset of their phobia.
It suggests that other processes must have caused the development of a phobia apart from classical conditioning. Thus, the behaviourist explanations have been criticised from being too simplistic.