Phobias

Question 1

What is a phobia

Answer 1

An Anxiety Disorder that causes you to avoid an extreme fear

Question 2

What behaviour does most phobias commonly produce

Answer 2

The person to produce a conscious avoidance of the feared object due to Irrational Fears

Question 3

What is the DSM-IV

Answer 3

Stands for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
- A book to provide a framework for classifying disorders an defining diagnostic criteria for the disorders

Question 4

What is meant by a Specific Phobia

Answer 4

Specific phobia is an intense, irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger.
The fear that they have is caused by a specific stimulant

Question 5

What is a Social Phobia

Answer 5

• An intense fear of a social situation
  OR
• An intense fear of having to interact with other people

Question 6

What is the difference between Phobias and Anxiety

Answer 6

• Anxiety is a natural response to a perceived threat
• Though a Phobia is an irrational, Persistent and Extreme fear of something

Question 7

What is the function of a phobia

Answer 7

It compels you to avoid an irrational fear
Though well knowing that it can be harmless

Question 8

Name 2 Emotional (Feel) Characteristic of Phobias

Answer 8

• The person feels panic and anxiety when in the presence of or in anticipation of meeting the feared object
• There is an immediate fear response, or panic attack cued by the specific situation or object

Question 9

Name 2 Cognitive (Thoughts) Characteristic of Phobias

Answer 9

• Irrational Thoughts
• Resistance to Logic (Facts do not convince you)

Question 10

Name 2 Behavioural (Act) Characteristic of Phobias

Answer 10

• Avoidance
• Fight or Flight (Big Adrenaline Rush)

Question 11

Describe on behavioural characteristic that might be seen in a person who has a phobia of Wasps

Answer 11

Avoidance - Tend to avoid activities or places that may cause an encounter with a wasp, such as Beaches or Gardens

Question 12

What are the 2 things Mowrer suggested would combine to understand how phobias are learned

Answer 12

Classical and Operant Conditioning

Question 13

Define Classical Conditioning

Answer 13

A Learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired: a response which is at first elicited by the second stimulus is eventually elicited by the first stimulus alone.

Question 14

Describe Little Albert’s Experiment

Answer 14

• Albert was first introduce to a white rat and showed no fear response
• During the experiment, each time the rat appeared, a loud bang was made by an iron bar and a hammer
• Albert Showed distress at the sound
• So Watson and Rayner paired the two so Albert would be conditioned to be scared of the rat when hearing the noise
• So then Albert had developed a conditioned fear of the rat without the bang

Question 15

How does the Behavioural approach explain the maintenance of Phobias

Answer 15

Operant Conditioning takes place when our behaviour is reinforced
- It increases the frequency of a behaviour
- When we avoid a phobic stimulus, we successfully escape the fear and anxiety
- That therefore rewards us with the freedom and negatively reinforces the avoidance behaviour and the phobia is then maintained