Learning to be scared? Aisha Merrick

Behaviourism The behaviourist perspective looks at how we learn behaviour, whether that be due to classical conditioning or operant conditioning. This can relate to phobias and how we ‘learn to be scared’ It is assumed that internal mental states such as thoughts, feelings, and emotions are not necessary in explaining behaviour. The ‘nurture vs nature’ argument can be considered when it comes to behaviourism as can ethics; if all behaviour is learnt can it be unlearnt? This is a means of control and who decides which behaviours are taught or not?

Conditioning Operant Conditioning : A method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behaviour. (Negative or positive reinforcement) Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behaviour and a consequence for that behaviour. Consider the case of children completing homework to earn a reward from a parent or teacher. The possibility of rewards causes an increase in behaviour, but operant conditioning can also be used to decrease a behaviour. The removal of an undesirable outcome or the use of punishment can be used to decrease or prevent undesirable behaviours. For example, a child may be told they will lose their play time privileges if they talk out of turn in class. This potential for punishment may lead to a decrease in disruptive behaviours.

Conditioning Classical Conditioning : A learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus. E.g. Pavlov’s Dogs The technique can also be useful in the treatment of phobias or anxiety problems. Teachers are able to apply classical conditioning in the class by creating a positive classroom environment to help students overcome anxiety or fear. Pairing an anxiety-provoking situation, such as performing in front of a group, with pleasant surroundings helps the student learn new associations. Instead of feeling anxious and tense in these situations, the child will learn to stay relaxed and calm.

Phobias A phobia is a persistent, irrational, and excessive fear of an object or situation. Common phobias include agoraphobia and social phobias. These fears can interfere with an individual’s life and lead to considerable anxiety and distress 1. Arachnophobia: The fear of spiders. This phobia tends to affect women more than men. 2. Ophidiophobia: The fear of snakes. Often attributed to evolutionary causes, personal experiences, or cultural influences. 3. Acrophobia: The fear of heights. This fear can lead to anxiety attacks and avoidance of high places.

Phobias As the behaviourist perspective talks of learning behaviour, it is possible that behaviour can be unlearnt. Because of this, it is believed phobias can be treated. The phobia has little to do with the individual but rather the situation they are in. By pairing the phobic stimulus with something pleasant or relaxing should be effective; this is known as systematic desensitisation. Case Study- McGrath, Successful treatment of a noise phobia

Why? It is questionable as to why we experience a phobia. If you look at Freud’s case of Little Hans, he had a phobia of horses. If looking at the phobia from the behaviourist approach, you can believe that the boy paired a stimulus (touching the horse) with a response (young girl potentially being bitten) and so this behaviour is now learnt and he believes if he goes near a horse, he’ll be bitten too. However, Freud looked at the situation from a psychodynamic perspective and thus believed that the fear was repressed anxieties that were hidden in Little Hans unconscious mind and so was expressed as a phobia. The fact that his mother had told him not to touch his ‘widdler’ links to not touching the white horse.

Treatments One of the most successful treatments is behaviour therapy. In behaviour therapy, one meets with a trained therapist and confronts the feared object or situation in a carefully planned, gradual way and learns to control the physical reactions of fear. The behaviourists involved in classical conditioning techniques believe that the response of phobic fear is a reflex acquired to non-dangerous stimuli. The normal fear to a dangerous stimulus, such as a poisonous snake may have been generalised over to non-poisonous ones as well. If the person were to be exposed to the non-dangerous stimulus time after time without experiencing any harm, the phobic response would gradually extinguish itself