Essay on Cognitive: Psychology and Aversive Stimulus

Submitted By Angel-Ox
Words: 1325
Pages: 6
Open Document
PY 1117

Cognitive Psychology Ia

AY 2014/2015

Dr. Martin Jüttner

Handout 4

Modern Applications of Learning Theories
1. Phobias and fear-conditioning theories
- A phobia is an excessive and intense fear, usually of specific objects or situations, such a fear of snakes, spiders, or heights
- Phobias have been of taken as classical examples to demonstrate the significance of
Pavlovian conditioning
- The idea is that an initially neutral stimulus becomes phobic because it has been paired with an aversive stimulus: something traumatic, painful, or frightening (fear conditioning theory, Watson & Rayner (1920))
- Evidence: Watson & Rayner conditioned an 11-month-old child (“Albert”) to fear a laboratory rat by pairing exposure to the rat (CS) with an unexpected banging of a steel bar with a hammer (US)
- Criticism (apart from ethical concerns):
. Albert’s fear of rats decreased between sessions, so he had occasionally be reconditioned. In contrast, real phobias do normally not extinguish (Harris, 1979)
. attempts to replicate the study using other objects (toys) failed
. traumatic experiences do not necessarily lead to phobias (Di Nardo, Guzy & Bak,
1988)
2. Phobias - preparedness theory
- According to the preparedness theory (Seligman, 1972; Eyesenck, 1979), evolution has prepared us to acquire fears that have high survival value. Stimuli involved in phobias represent potential dangers in the evolutionary history
- More recently, it has been suggested that there is a dedicated brain circuit (a “module”) for learning prepared fears (Ohman & Mineka, 2001)
- Evidence:
. Cook & Mineka (1990) studied monkeys who had been raised in captivity and therefore had never been exposed to snakes
. the monkeys watched a video which showed footage of either phobia relevant stimuli
(snakes) or unprepared stimuli (flowers) that were combined with footage of other monkeys showing fear and fright (the US)
1

. When tested later on, monkeys who had seen the snake in the film were more fearful than monkeys who had seen the flowers.
- Note, however, that
. not all phobias involve evolutionarily prepared stimuli (example: dental anxiety, De
Jonghand (1995))
. certain categories of phobias are age-related (Miller, Barrett & Hampe, 1974): 3-4year-old children are more likely to develop animal fears, whereas 13-18- year-old young adults are more likely to develop social fears
3. Treatment of phobias: systematic desensitization
- The basic idea of systematic desensitization (Wolpe, 1958) is counter-conditioning, i.e. the pairing of a phobic stimulus (CS) with an US or a response that is incompatible with fear (e.g., relaxation)
- Further details:
. relaxation training
. imaginal approaches to the feared object using an anxiety hierarchy. Example:
- imagine the written word “SPIDER”
- imagine a cartoon drawing of a spider
- seeing a small spider in a web as you pass a bush
- …larger spider...still larger spider…etc.
- Imagine finding a spider in your bath or bed
. at each level items of the hierarchy are paired with instructions to relax. The aim is to have relaxation dominate tension (anxiety)
- S.D. has become the method of choice for fears with identifiable referents (insects, snakes, heights etc.)
- According to Davison (1968) the pairing of a relaxation response with items from the anxiety hierarchy is essential - using the two components (relaxation and exposure) independently is not sufficient
- Spiegler & Guevrement (1993) suggest that one has to distinguish between essential and facilitative components in systematic desensitization. Accordingly, the repeated exposure to items of the fear hierarchy without the client experiencing any negative consequences is an essential component of the method, which is made more effective by the counderconditioning with a relaxation response
4. Treatment of addiction: aversion therapy
- Aversion therapy is based on the idea to condition an
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Cognitive: Psychology and Aversive Stimulus

Review: Original Conditioned Stimulus Essay examples

Learning theory: A model of psychology that explains the human responses through the concept of learning. Learning theory includes behaviourism, cognitive theory, cogintal-behavioural theory, and constructivism. Describe classical conditioning: is one of the simplest forms of learning. It has a powerful effect on our attitudes, likes and dislikes, as well as our emotional responses. Classical conditioning is also a form of learning in which an association is formed between one stimuli and another…

Words 935 - Pages 4

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Analysis

There are also Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder related disorders such as; Hoarding, Excoriation, Trichotillomania, and Body Dysmorphic. Hoarding involves compulsive collecting, poor organizations skills, and difficulty discarding. They also have cognitive defects such as information-processing speed, decision making, and prostration. Individuals who suffer with Hoarding disorder begin to feel overcome with uncertainty when throwing items away. It continues to increase to the point that they can’t even…

Words 743 - Pages 3

Essay on Cognitive dissonance theory

behaviors including individuals and group behavior (Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge, 2009). However, in order to understand human behavior or attitudes, we must understand the social learning theory. The social learning theory is a discipline of psychology that attempts to explain how an individual (organism) learns. This theory consists of many different theories of learning, including instincts, social facilitation, observation, formal teaching, memory, mimicry, and classical and operant conditioning…

Words 2278 - Pages 10

Essay on Psychology: Antidepressant and Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake

Classification of Psychological Disorders The Medical Model * Proposes that it is useful to think of abnormal behavior as a disease * Brings improvement to the treatment process * Patients are viewed with more sympathy * Less ostracized & feared Criteria Deviance- Behavior not accepted by society Maladaptive Behavior- Impairment of every- day adaptive behavior Personal Distress- Depression, anxiety or feelings of hopelessness Psycho diagnosis Classification…

Words 1438 - Pages 6

A.P Psychology Study Guide Essay

humanistic psychology. non-directive therapy: An approach in which the psychotherapist refrains from giving advice as the client identifies conflicts. unconditional positive regard: A therapist creating a warm respecting and accepting atmosphere. empathy: The ability of the therapist to understand the feelings of the therapist. positive regard: Warmth,affection,love and respect comes from others in ones life. Behavioral: Aversion therapy: An undesirable behavior is paired with an aversive stimulus…

Words 1004 - Pages 5

Psych Review Notes

of operant conditioning emphasizes how behavior “operates” in the environment Cognitive approach- addresses brain structure and function (thoughts) George Miller- cognitive revolution- influenced by psychotherapy Cognitive- Behavioral Approach- the widespread us of behavioral method to investigate thinking led to merging the approaches Albert Ellis and Aaron T. Beck- influenced revolution- examined how the cognitive process influenced maladaptive behaviors Humanistic Approach- reaction to the…

Words 4054 - Pages 17

How Can Psychological Factors Affect Health

Psych 202- Chapter notes Chapter 11: Stress & Health Can Psychological Factors Affect Health? -behaviors and attitudes can affect our health -Health Psychology a field that integrates research on health and on psychology; it involves the application of psychological principles to promote health and well-being. - the importance of lifestyle factors -Well Being a positive state that includes striving for optimal health and life satisfaction The Biopsychosocial Model of Health Incorporates…

Words 1471 - Pages 6

Essay on Psychology and Advanced Placement Course

Course Syllabus A.P. PSYCHOLOGY 2014-2015 Heather E Scott Course: A.P. Psychology Room: 738 Phone: 751-8230 ext 2165 Email: scotth@manateeschools.net Website: http://www.oncoursesystems.com/school/webpage.aspx?id=11166097 What you should know about Psychology and Advanced Placement… Psychology is the scientific study of how people think, act (behave) and feel…

Words 3746 - Pages 15

Personality Notes Essay

would give up freedom to be happy Three Kinds of Learning Habituation: a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated presentations Classical conditioning: a form of learning in which the conditioned stimulus or CS, comes to signal the occurrence of a second stimulus, the unconditioned stimulus or US. The conditioned response is the learned response to the previously neutral stimulus. Learned helplessness: a behavioral pattern coming from the feeling of anxiety due to unpredictability…

Words 2830 - Pages 12

Study Guide Essay examples

Learning Theory Habituation: learning not to respond to the repeated presentation of a stimulus. Example: we can habituate to those close and present in our daily lives like our lovers or family. Sensitization: an example of non-associative learning in which the progressive amplification of a response follows repeated administrations of a stimulus. Increased response to a stimulus after the first instance with the stimulus. Ex: if you are mugged at a certain park. Next time, when you pass through that…

Words 6017 - Pages 25