Phobias - Behaviourist Theory

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Behaviourist Theory

Behaviour is learnt,

rather than instinctive.

Behaviourists: Group of psychologists that believe human behaviours are learn't + aren't natural

Classical Conditioning: learning by association

UCR: Natural response - doesn't need to be learnt.

UCS: Stimulus that triggers a natural response

NS: Something that wouldn't normally trigger a reaction

CS: Something that triggers a learnt response

CR: A response that has been learnt through association

Stimulus Generalisation: generalising your fear to similar things e.g. fear of bee's to wasps

Operant Conditioning: Learning by consequences - if something is rewarding you will do it again

Extinction: Associations will be extinguished over time if association does not continue

Behaviourists ignore the mind and the thinking behind behaviour.

e.g. two people could have the same experience (getting attacked at night). One person thinks about it rationally and the other irrationally and develop a phobia of the dark.

Behaviourists assume that you need direct experience with the feared object or situation.

May develop through social learning - observing their role models behaviour e.g. parent hiding in a thunder storm - child copies and develops phobia of storms.

Behaviourists cannot explain the fact that some people have phobias of objects/situations that they have no direct experience of.

e.g. lots of British people have fears of snakes even though it is highly unlikely for them to come across a snake.

Some phobias are to do with nature + people are born with them.

LIMITATIONS

Core Theory

Limitations