Atypical Behaviour What makes a phobia atypical behaviour
Atypical Behaviour
What makes a phobia atypical behaviour? Intense Persistent Irrational FEAR
Examples of phobias Fear of… Spiders School Heights Open spaces Being in public Arachnophobia School Phobia Acrophobia Agoraphobia Social Phobia
Behaviourist theory of phobias • All behaviours, including phobias, are learnt. • In other words, phobias are conditioned. • Phobias start because of classical conditioning. • Phobias are maintained (kept going) by operant conditioning.
Can you identify these key terms from classical conditioning? • • • UCS CR NS CS UCR Unconditioned stimulus Conditioned response Neutral stimulus Conditioned stimulus Unconditioned stimulus
UCS UCR NS CS CR
UCS FOOD UCR SALIVATION NS BELL CR SALIVATION
Evaluating the Behaviourist Theory • It ignores the thinking behind phobias – it is not just about having a bad experience but also about how we think about it (rationally or irrationally). • People have phobias of objects or situations that they have had no experience of. • It ignores the idea that phobias may be more instinctive than learnt. Evolutionary theory suggests that we have an innate tendency to feat objects or situations that threaten our survival.
Evolutionary Theory of phobias This theory proposes the idea of preparedness – we are ready to fear certain things more than others if they threaten our chances of surviving. Why would we be prepared to fear the following? § rodents § insects § the dark § blood § heights
Watson & Rayner (1920) Watson & Rayner’s subject was a baby known as Little Albert, who they first tested at _____ months old. They tested his reactions to a range of different stimuli, none of which frightened him. They were all _____ stimuli. The only stimulus that triggered a natural ______ reaction was a hammer striking a steel bar. When Albert was just over _____ months old, Watson & Rayner brought him back to their laboratory. Their aim was to ______ him to fear a white rat. They did this by offering it to the boy. As Albert reached out to stroke the rat, Watson crept behind the baby and brought the hammer crashing down on the steel bar! This was repeated ____ times over the next two weeks. By the end of the trials, the rat on its own was enough to frighten Albert even though it had not done before. When presented with the rat he would now cry and try to avoid it. Watson & Rayner had successfully (and deliberately!) conditioned a _______ of rats in the boy.
Watson & Rayner (1920) Watson & Rayner’s subject was a baby known as Little Albert, who they first tested at nine months old. They tested his reactions to a range of different stimuli, none of which frightened him. They were all neutral stimuli. The only stimulus that triggered a natural fear reaction was a hammer striking a steel bar. When Albert was just over eleven months old, Watson & Rayner brought him back to their laboratory. Their aim was to condition him to fear a white rat. They did this by offering it to the boy. As Albert reached out to stroke the rat, Watson crept behind the baby and brought the hammer crashing down on the steel bar! This was repeated seven times over the next two weeks. By the end of the trials, the rat on its own was enough to frighten Albert even though it had not done before. When presented with the rat he would now cry and try to avoid it. Watson & Rayner had successfully (and deliberately!) conditioned a phobia of rats in the boy.
UCS UCR LOUD BANG FEAR NS WHITE RAT CR FEAR
Limitations of Watson & Rayner’s study Explain how the following limitations apply to the study: 1. 2. 3. It lacked ecological validity. Too much control; artificial conditions; relevance to real-life? The sample only consisted of one child. Unrepresentative; difficult to generalise; does it apply to adults and other children? The study was unethical. The child cannot give consent; causing distress; longterm consequences of having a phobia.
Applications: Behaviour Therapy for phobias Systematic Desensitisation Flooding Types of Therapy Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Implosion Therapy
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