Phobias and Addiction

1112 Words5 Pages
Phobias and Addiction Phobias and Addiction Darin K. Bailey Psych/300 June 18, 2012 Angelique Grady Phobias and Addiction The relationship between phobias and addiction and how they relate to classical and operant conditioning is comprised of many components. I will attempt in this paper to distinguish between classical and operant conditioning to better understand the concepts. The next item that will be covered is the development of phobias and how classical conditioning pushes this development and show an example. Also, I will show how addictions can be developed through operant conditioning giving an example of this concept as well. The definition of extinction and how it relates to both classical conditioning and operant conditioning will also be discussed. We will start with phobias and classical conditioning, followed by addiction and operant conditioning. Then consider extinction and its definition. First I will distinguish between classical and operant conditioning. According to Kowalski and Westen (2011) classical conditioning is the result of an unconditioned reflex, like salivation, when an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is introduced, like food, with a conditioned stimulus, like ringing a bell when food is brought. This causes a conditioned response (CR), which is considered a learned response. Operant conditioning, again according to Kowalski and Westen (2011), is behavior that causes a reaction or response, as opposed to classical conditioning is an environmental stimulus causes a response. Though it seems difficult to separate the two conditionings, it’s actually fairly simple. Classical conditioning is a reflexive or natural response to a stimulus that is not normally associated with the behavior, and operant conditioning is a behavior acquired through an action that is not reflexive, but “performed.” In short, classical conditioning is a
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