Strength of the Behaviourist Approach: Application to Treatments

Last time, we saw that the first strength of the behaviourist approach is…

The first strength of the behaviourist approach is that it’s very scientific. 

For instance, the use of laboratory experiments means the research has a high degree of control over extraneous variables, giving it high validity and reliability.

The reliance on empirical evidence also means that the theories are falsifiable.

And, the findings from behaviourist research have been consistently replicated!

Now, the second strength of the behaviourist approach is that it can be applied to help develop psychological treatments. 

Now, we’ve seen already that the learning mechanisms in the behaviourist approach are…

The two learning mechanisms in the behaviourist approach are classical conditioning and operant conditioning.

And we’ve seen that classical conditioning is…

Classical conditioning is when a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus, through repeated association with an unconditioned stimulus.

Now, classical conditioning has been applied to understand mental disorders, such as anxiety.

For instance, here’s Izzy. When Izzy was younger, she associated the sight of a balloon with the really scary sound it makes when it pops. And now, seeing balloons makes her really scared!

So, we can say that…

We can say that, before conditioning, the balloon was a neutral stimulus, whereas the popping sound was an unconditioned stimulus. The popping caused an unconditioned response: feeling scared.

But, then, after classical conditioning, the sight of the balloon became a conditioned stimulus, which caused a conditioned response: feeling scared.

So, classical conditioning can help us to understand how people develop anxieties and fears…

And, this understanding can also help us to develop treatments for anxieties and fears.

For instance, a therapist might repeatedly present a balloon with stimuli that Izzy feels positive about [her friends, favourite food etc]

This would encourage Izzy to…

This would encourage Izzy to associate balloons with a new, positive unconditioned stimulus.

And so, through classical conditioning… 

Through classical conditioning, Izzy would develop a new conditioned response. But this time, it’d be a positive response [happy Izzy with balloon].

So, a second strength of the behaviourist approach is that it can be used to understand and treat mental disorders like anxiety.

And, this approach is still used in therapy today!

So, to sum up, a second strength of the behaviourist approach is that… 

A second strength of the behavioural approach is that learning mechanisms can be used in psychological treatments.

For instance…

For instance, classical conditioning can be used to treat anxieties and phobias, by…

Classical conditioning can be used to treat anxieties and phobias, by replacing a negative association [scared Izzy] with a positive association [happy Izzy].