Phobias - Behaviourist Theory

Behaviourist Theory

  Behaviour is learnt, rather than instinctive.

Behaviourists: Group of psychologists that believe human                              behaviours are learn't + aren't naturalClassical Conditioning: learning by associationUCR: Natural response - doesn't need to be learnt.UCS: Stimulus that triggers a natural responseNS: Something that wouldn't normally trigger a reactionCS: Something that triggers a learnt responseCR: A response that has been learnt through association

Stimulus Generalisation: generalising your fear to similar things e.g. fear of bee's to waspsOperant Conditioning: Learning by consequences - if something is rewarding you will do it againExtinction: 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