Explanations of fear-related disorders

Need to know

What you need to know

• Mowrer's (1960) two-process model explains both acquisition and maintenance of phobias.
• Acquisition occurs via classical conditioning (learning through association).
• Maintenance occurs via operant conditioning (negative reinforcement).
• Avoiding the phobic stimulus reduces anxiety, which reinforces the avoidance behaviour.

Explanation

Explanations of fear-related disorders

1. Mowrer's (1960) two-process model explains both acquisition and maintenance of phobias.
2. Acquisition occurs via classical conditioning (learning through association).
3. Maintenance occurs via operant conditioning (negative reinforcement).
4. Avoiding the phobic stimulus reduces anxiety, which reinforces the avoidance behaviour.