Describe ways in which behavioural learning theory has been used to eliminate snake phobias, and suggest some new ways to treat this problem. In addition, discuss why people tend to be prone to certain kinds of phobias more than others.
Describe ways in which behavioural learning theory has been used to eliminate snake phobias, and suggest some new ways to treat this problem. In addition, discuss why people tend to be prone to certain kinds of phobias more than others.
A phobia can be described as an irrational fear or dread of an object or situation, this fear is accompanied by a persistent and intense need to flee or avoid this object or situation. Behaviourists follow the reasoning that these phobias are caused by 'maladaptive learning' and that in order to eliminate these, new behaviours must be learnt to replace them. The theories concerning phobias relate to John Locke's (1690) idea that "fears are produced by the chance association of ideas" two events that are unrelated become associated with each other in the mind and a connection is made, this maladaptive learning process produces a phobic response.
This essay intends to look at the behavioural learning theory in relation to phobias and will discuss the acquisition of phobias due to classical and operant conditioning, as knowing how phobias are acquired is vital to knowing how to eliminate them. It will use these theories to show how extinction, systematic desensitisation and implosion therapy can eliminate snake phobias. This essay will also discuss the Preparedness theory and how this explains why some phobias are more prominent than others.
Classical conditioning (learning by association) is based on the notion that animals and humans have two types of responses; conditioned and unconditioned. Unconditioned responses occur automatically from unconditioned stimuli and are not related to learning, they happen without thought and are inborn, however conditioned responses do occur through learning and experiences. Ivan Pavlov carried out extensive research into this type of conditioning, he proposed that the connection between a conditioned stimuli and a conditioned response is learnt (unlike that of unconditioned stimuli and responses which happen naturally). He concluded that as this connection is learnt, the conditioned stimulus is at some point a neutral stimulus, thus any required response can be elicited from any stimulus.
Pavlov (1927) carried out research based on a dog's salivary reaction in connection to food. A dog's unconditioned response to food is salivation; Pavlov accompanied the bringing of the food with the ringing of a bell. The dog eventually salivated upon hearing the bell as he had learnt the connection between the bell and the food. This experiment can be generalised to other stimuli, responses and participants. Raynor and Watson (1920) conducted a similar study to Pavlov using a child 'Albert' who was 11months old. This study provides empirical evidence, which supports Pavlov's findings. Albert was conditioned to be afraid of the rat by the production of loud noises whenever a rat was present; Albert eventually developed a phobia of rats. Albert had made the connection between the loud noise and the rat, just like the dogs that made the connection between the bell and the food. Raynor and Watson were then able to generalise this fear to anything that was white and fluffy.
Looking at these studies it is easy to see how associations can be made. The reading of scary bedtime stories to a child, which coincides with the dark and possibly stormy nights, can result in the child developing a fear of storms and the dark. It is not the stormy night that initially causes the child to become scared but the content of the book, but, a connection has been made between the fear and the dark night and the fear is established. It has been found that the more these pairings of the conditioned stimuli and unconditioned stimuli occur the stronger the association is and the connection is more strongly reinforced. This can work in reverse by displaying the conditioned stimuli without the unconditioned stimuli. Wolpe and Plaud (1997) say that process of removing phobias is similar to that of acquiring them, as fear is a classically conditioned response, the unreinforcement causes the connection to be suppressed, however, the connection can never fully be broken. Pavlov was able to demonstrate this process on the dogs. He found that saliva was no longer produced on hearing the bell after the food (the unconditioned stimuli) was repeatedly presented without the bell (the conditioned stimuli). Robbins (1990) says that although the dogs acknowledge that the bell no longer produces food they remember that it once did, this means that extinction can be undone and is much quicker than the initial learning. Baum (1970) researched the theory of extinction on a group of rats, he gave the rats an electric shock whenever the light in their cage came on, the rats eventually developed a phobia of the light. Once the phobia had been established he presented the light without the electric shock, the rats then 'lost' their phobia of the light.
A phobia can be described as an irrational fear or dread of an object or situation, this fear is accompanied by a persistent and intense need to flee or avoid this object or situation. Behaviourists follow the reasoning that these phobias are caused by 'maladaptive learning' and that in order to eliminate these, new behaviours must be learnt to replace them. The theories concerning phobias relate to John Locke's (1690) idea that "fears are produced by the chance association of ideas" two events that are unrelated become associated with each other in the mind and a connection is made, this maladaptive learning process produces a phobic response.
This essay intends to look at the behavioural learning theory in relation to phobias and will discuss the acquisition of phobias due to classical and operant conditioning, as knowing how phobias are acquired is vital to knowing how to eliminate them. It will use these theories to show how extinction, systematic desensitisation and implosion therapy can eliminate snake phobias. This essay will also discuss the Preparedness theory and how this explains why some phobias are more prominent than others.
Classical conditioning (learning by association) is based on the notion that animals and humans have two types of responses; conditioned and unconditioned. Unconditioned responses occur automatically from unconditioned stimuli and are not related to learning, they happen without thought and are inborn, however conditioned responses do occur through learning and experiences. Ivan Pavlov carried out extensive research into this type of conditioning, he proposed that the connection between a conditioned stimuli and a conditioned response is learnt (unlike that of unconditioned stimuli and responses which happen naturally). He concluded that as this connection is learnt, the conditioned stimulus is at some point a neutral stimulus, thus any required response can be elicited from any stimulus.
Pavlov (1927) carried out research based on a dog's salivary reaction in connection to food. A dog's unconditioned response to food is salivation; Pavlov accompanied the bringing of the food with the ringing of a bell. The dog eventually salivated upon hearing the bell as he had learnt the connection between the bell and the food. This experiment can be generalised to other stimuli, responses and participants. Raynor and Watson (1920) conducted a similar study to Pavlov using a child 'Albert' who was 11months old. This study provides empirical evidence, which supports Pavlov's findings. Albert was conditioned to be afraid of the rat by the production of loud noises whenever a rat was present; Albert eventually developed a phobia of rats. Albert had made the connection between the loud noise and the rat, just like the dogs that made the connection between the bell and the food. Raynor and Watson were then able to generalise this fear to anything that was white and fluffy.
Looking at these studies it is easy to see how associations can be made. The reading of scary bedtime stories to a child, which coincides with the dark and possibly stormy nights, can result in the child developing a fear of storms and the dark. It is not the stormy night that initially causes the child to become scared but the content of the book, but, a connection has been made between the fear and the dark night and the fear is established. It has been found that the more these pairings of the conditioned stimuli and unconditioned stimuli occur the stronger the association is and the connection is more strongly reinforced. This can work in reverse by displaying the conditioned stimuli without the unconditioned stimuli. Wolpe and Plaud (1997) say that process of removing phobias is similar to that of acquiring them, as fear is a classically conditioned response, the unreinforcement causes the connection to be suppressed, however, the connection can never fully be broken. Pavlov was able to demonstrate this process on the dogs. He found that saliva was no longer produced on hearing the bell after the food (the unconditioned stimuli) was repeatedly presented without the bell (the conditioned stimuli). Robbins (1990) says that although the dogs acknowledge that the bell no longer produces food they remember that it once did, this means that extinction can be undone and is much quicker than the initial learning. Baum (1970) researched the theory of extinction on a group of rats, he gave the rats an electric shock whenever the light in their cage came on, the rats eventually developed a phobia of the light. Once the phobia had been established he presented the light without the electric shock, the rats then 'lost' their phobia of the light.
