Outline and Evaluate the Behavioural Approach to Pyschopathology

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Outline and evaluate the Behavioural approach to psychopathology The behaviourist approach explains that behaviour is learnt through; classical conditioning, operant conditioning or social learning. Classical conditioning is when behaviour is learnt through association. Phobias are explained using classical conditioning. For example, the fear of small spaces may develop if fear is felt in a situation involving a small space (elevator). A past traumatic event in the elevator may lead to associating fear with small spaces. Operant conditioning is when behaviour is learnt through punishments and reward. E.g. if a baby is crying the mother may feed the child which means the baby is positively reinforced. The baby will repeat the actions again when it feels hungry again. This can be applied to abnormalities and disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. For example, if a person is dieting and they are complimented on losing weight, the compliment acts as the positive reinforcement and they will carry on behaving the same way (dieting). If this is taken to an extreme it can result in anorexia. Watson and Rayner were radical behaviourists who believed that all behaviour was learned exclusively through interaction with the environment, and furthermore that the environment could shape, through classical and operant conditioning, any individual into becoming anything. In 1920 they had the opportunity to experiment on an infant called Little Albert, and were able to show how an abnormal phobia could be learned by simple association. Little Albert was described as a happy and inquisitive child who was scared of very little. He was even happy to play with a pet white rat, however one thing that he was scared of was sudden loud noises. Watson & Rayner (1920) allowed Little Albert to play with the white rat and then at the same time made a loud metallic bang. They repeated
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