Phobias

Question 1

What are the DSM-5 categories for phobias?

Answer 1

• Specific phobia (object, place, etc)
• Social phobia
• Agoraphobia

Question 2

What are the behavioural characteristics of phobias?

Answer 2

• Panic
• Avoidance of phobic stimulant
• Endurance of phobic stimulant

Question 3

What are the emotional characteristics of phobias?

Answer 3

• Anxiety (long term)
• Fear (short term)
• Unreasonable emotional response (disproportionate to the threat posed)

Question 4

What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias?

Answer 4

• Selective attention; vigilantly watching phobic stimulus
• Irrational beliefs regarding phobic stimulus
• Cognitive distortions (warped perceptions) of stimulus

Question 5

Briefly explain the Two Process Model as an explanation for phobias

Answer 5

• Behavioural approach
• Mowrer (1960)
• Phobias gained through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning

Question 6

Explain the acquisition stage of the Two Process Model

Answer 6

• Neutral stimulus associated with unconditioned stimulus (something dangerous/frightening), neutral becomes conditioned stimulus (phobic stimulus)
• Watson & Rayner (1920) Little Albert study; 9 month old, white rat associated with loud noise

Question 7

Explain the maintenance stage of the Two Process Model

Answer 7

• Avoidance is negative reinforcement (avoid stress -> positive outcome -> repeat avoidance)
• Phobia is reinforced and therefore maintained

Question 8

What are the strengths of the Two Process model as an explanation for phobias?

Answer 8

• Real application in exposure therapy
• Large amount of evidence supporting the idea that traumatic experiences cause phobias

Question 9

What are the weaknesses of the Two Process model as an explanation for phobias?

Answer 9

• Doesn’t account for cognitive aspects of phobias
• Not all phobias caused by a negative experience (makes evolutionary explanation more likely)

Question 10

What are the two behavioural approaches to treating phobias? (name, not describe)

Answer 10

• Systematic desensitisation
• Flooding

Question 11

Explain systematic desensitisation as a treatment for phobias

Answer 11

• Uses classical conditioning to associate phobic stimulus with relaxation
• Anxiety hierarchy made by client, relaxations techniques taught, applied with exposure gradually going up the hierarchy

Question 12

Evaluate systematic desensitisation as a treatment for phobias

Answer 12

• Evidence for effectiveness for specific and social phobias & agoraphobia
• Can be used for those with learning disabilities

Question 13

Explain flooding as a treatment for phobias

Answer 13

• Immediate exposure to phobic stimulus for 2-3 hours
• No avoidance causes extinction of classical conditioning of fear
• Ethical with informed consent

Question 14

Evaluate flooding as a treatment for phobias

Answer 14

• Cost effective, same effect as desensitisation in one session as opposed to ten
• Is traumatic, has a higher dropout rate