Objectives To be able to describe the Two process theory of Phobias. To be able to demonstrate knowledge of how phobias develop and are maintained. To be able to evaluate the learning theory approach to phobias.

Phobia An extreme, irrational reaction to an object or situation Types of phobias Specific – animal, situation, danger, needles Agoraphobia – fear of open spaces Social phobia – fear of being in a social situations

Emotional Anxiety Fear Feeling of dread Behavioural Avoiding the object or situation Panic if faced with object or situation – freezing, crying. Cognitive Irrational beliefs Difficulty concentrating Fixating on the object or situation (selective attention)

The Behavioural Approach to Phobias The Two-Process Model Phobias are learned through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning You can use Little Albert by Watson and Rayner to illustrate the development of phobias through classical conditioning

In the Little Albert study identify the stimuli and response.

Maintained through Operant Conditioning Negative reinforcement When people are faced with the prospect of facing their phobic object or situation they feel intense anxiety. By avoiding the situation the anxiety will reduce. This is process of negative reinforcement.

Mark the Answer Phobias are thought to through develop through classical conditioning. In the scenario the trigger event was falling over at a party aged 16 years. This has meant the individual has avoided parties ever since and now this has generalised to other situations such as going out with friends. The individual has developed a social phobia because of the event.

Mark the answer Phobias develop through a process of classical conditioning and are maintained through operant conditioning. The individual has associated a neutral stimulus – the party - with a feeling of embarrassment. Now they fear social situations because of the falling incident and the fear of being embarrassed. The phobia is being maintained because as they avoid the social situations their fear is reduced. This means by avoiding the parties they are being negatively reinforced as their anxiety (which is unpleasant) is being taken away. This fear is now generalising to other social events such as going to the cinema.

Strengths Weaknesses 1. P. There is evidence to support the role of learning through association in the development of phobias. E. Barlow and Durand found that in cases of fear of driving, 50% had been involved in a road accident. L….. 3. P. This is a reductionist explanation as it simplifies this complex disorder down to stimulus and response. E. There are other explanations such as the role of biology and cognitions. E…….L………. 2. P. It can be clearly applied to therapy. E.The process of SD helps people to unlearn their fears and associate the object or situation with relaxation rather than anxiety. L……. 4. P……………. . E. Davey (1992) found that only 7% of spider phobics recalled having a traumatic experience with a spider. DiNardo (1988) reported that only 50% of dog phobics reported being bitten. L……. 1. This shows that phobias can develop through a process of classical conditioning where people associate an unpleasant event to a neutral stimulus. 3. For example phobias may develop because we are genetically programmed to fear certain objects such as snakes and spiders. This suggests the behaviourist explanation is limited. 2. This shows that the approach has important practical applications and can be used to reduce phobias. 4. P – Not all phobias develop through classical conditioning because not all people with phobias have had an unpleasant experience. L- Suggesting there are other explanations of phobias.

Therapy based on Behavioural Explanation Flooding and SD SD works by unlearning the association between the stimulus and fear. It aims to replace fear with relaxation. Relaxation and fear can not be experienced at the same time. Can be done with real life stimulus or imagining (in vivo and in vitro respectively)

Flooding Exposure is immediate with no gradual build up. Can be imagined or real life stimulus The person is kept in the situation until the fear reduces as they see nothing bad is happening. The fear is extinguished. The patient cannot avoid their phobic stimulus and this continuous exposure allows anxiety levels to decrease.

Systematic Desensitisation Strengths Weakness It is cost effective as it is quick and does not take prolonged commitment from the patient There are ethical issues with this type of treatment as the person will have a high level of distress and they cannot have right to withdraw. Zinbarg et al (1992) has found that SD is an effective treatment for phobias and is the most effective of all available treatments for phobias. May not be effective when the phobia has not developed through personal experience, for example a fear of heights. Is this evolutionary? Highly effective for specific phobias Not as effective for social phobias and agoraphobia McGrath et al (1990) found that 75% of patients with phobias were successfully treated with SD There are still ethical concerns as the person is put under stress. Would not be suitable when the phobia is for something unpredictable such as an animal Less ethical concerns compared to flooding Flooding Systematic Desensitisation