The behaviourist approach sees all behaviour as observable and learned. When explaining phobias, it focuses on the behaviours without considering cognitive or emotional aspects.

Mowrer's two-process model explains the development and persistence of anxiety disorders, including phobias. According to Mowrer (1960), phobias are initially acquired through classical conditioning, where a neutral stimulus (NS) becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS), resulting in a conditioned response (CR) of fear. This conditioning generalises to similar objects.

Maintenance of phobias occurs through operant conditioning. Avoiding the phobic stimulus reduces anxiety, acting as a reward. Operant conditioning reinforces avoidance behaviour by reducing anxiety, perpetuating the phobia.

Evaluation of the behavioural approach to explaining phobias (A03)

+ Supporting Study= In 1920, Watson and Rayner conducted an experiment involving an 11-month-old boy named Little Albert. Initially, Albert was a calm child without any fears. The researchers aimed to instill a phobia of rats by exposing Albert to a rat and simultaneously striking a steel bar behind his head to create a loud noise. This procedure was repeated three times, and the same was done a week later. Subsequently, when Albert was shown the rat again, he started crying. Through these actions, Watson and Rayner successfully conditioned a fear response in Albert using classical conditioning.

 

— Limited Explanatory Power= The two-process model overlooks cognitive factors. For instance, irrational beliefs could lead to the development of a phobia without the necessity of a frightening encounter.

 

 

Now have a go at the revision quiz below to see how much you can recall.