Outline and evaluate the behavioural explanaton of phobias (16 marks)
The two-process model suggests that phobias are acquired by classical conditoningg when a
stmulus is associated with dear This is demonstrated by aatson and Rayner iitle Albert experienced
dear (unconditonal response) when he heard the sound od a metal bar being struck (unconditonal
stmulus) The neutral stmulus od a rat was introduced The metal bar was struck when he held the ratg
and he learnt to associate the sound od the bar with the rat The rat became the phobic stmulus
(conditonal stmulus) as it elicited dear (conditonal response)
Phobias are maintained by operant conditoning Atenton acts as positie reindorcement and
makes behaiiours in response to the stmulusg e g screamingg more likely Aioidance behaiiour acts as
negatie reindorcement as the suferer aioids the stmulus and escapes anxietyg and this also makes the
behaiiour more likely
A weakness od the behaiioural explanaton is that it ignores the roles od biology and
eiolutonary driies hhman dound that it was easier to teach a dear od spiders than it was to teach a dear
od flowersg suggestng that afer centuries od eioliingg we haie a biological preparedness to be scared od
some stmuli called ‘aancient dears’ This limits the explanatong as it suggests that many dears could be
innate and not learned
A strength od the behaiioural explanaton is that it has led to deielopment od successdul
treatments For exampleg in systematc desensitsaton n which has a success rate od 75% (McGrath) n
the suferer learns to associate their phobic stmulus with relaxaton instead od dear in the process od
counterconditoningg supportng the idea that phobias are acquired by classical conditoning oweierg
in some cases symptom substtuton occursg and Freud would atribute this to the phobia being caused
by displacing anxiety instead od conditoning This weakens the behaiioural explanaton as it suggests
that the acquisiton od some phobias may be due to dedence mechanisms od the ego rather than
conditoning
A limitaton od the two process model is that deardul behaiiour may be due to irratonal thought
processes rather than automatc learned responses For exampleg atenton bias may mean an indiiidual
docuses on the negatie aspects od a stmulus and not the positie ones Furthermoreg ofen BT n which
challenges irratonal thoughts n is a more efectie treatment than behaiioural therapies Because the
two process model exhibits eniironmental reductonismg it dails to acknowledge the cognitie elements
that may be inioliedg and is theredore weakened
aord count: 135 + 262
The two-process model suggests that phobias are acquired by classical conditoningg when a
stmulus is associated with dear This is demonstrated by aatson and Rayner iitle Albert experienced
dear (unconditonal response) when he heard the sound od a metal bar being struck (unconditonal
stmulus) The neutral stmulus od a rat was introduced The metal bar was struck when he held the ratg
and he learnt to associate the sound od the bar with the rat The rat became the phobic stmulus
(conditonal stmulus) as it elicited dear (conditonal response)
Phobias are maintained by operant conditoning Atenton acts as positie reindorcement and
makes behaiiours in response to the stmulusg e g screamingg more likely Aioidance behaiiour acts as
negatie reindorcement as the suferer aioids the stmulus and escapes anxietyg and this also makes the
behaiiour more likely
A weakness od the behaiioural explanaton is that it ignores the roles od biology and
eiolutonary driies hhman dound that it was easier to teach a dear od spiders than it was to teach a dear
od flowersg suggestng that afer centuries od eioliingg we haie a biological preparedness to be scared od
some stmuli called ‘aancient dears’ This limits the explanatong as it suggests that many dears could be
innate and not learned
A strength od the behaiioural explanaton is that it has led to deielopment od successdul
treatments For exampleg in systematc desensitsaton n which has a success rate od 75% (McGrath) n
the suferer learns to associate their phobic stmulus with relaxaton instead od dear in the process od
counterconditoningg supportng the idea that phobias are acquired by classical conditoning oweierg
in some cases symptom substtuton occursg and Freud would atribute this to the phobia being caused
by displacing anxiety instead od conditoning This weakens the behaiioural explanaton as it suggests
that the acquisiton od some phobias may be due to dedence mechanisms od the ego rather than
conditoning
A limitaton od the two process model is that deardul behaiiour may be due to irratonal thought
processes rather than automatc learned responses For exampleg atenton bias may mean an indiiidual
docuses on the negatie aspects od a stmulus and not the positie ones Furthermoreg ofen BT n which
challenges irratonal thoughts n is a more efectie treatment than behaiioural therapies Because the
two process model exhibits eniironmental reductonismg it dails to acknowledge the cognitie elements
that may be inioliedg and is theredore weakened
aord count: 135 + 262
