Biological contributing factors and interventions of phobia
Name a biological intervention for specific phobia.
Agonists (benzodiazepines also accepted.
Breathing retraining.
Name a psychological intervention used to treat specific phobia.
- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
- Systematic desensitisation.
Name a social contributing factor to specific phobia.
- Specific environmental triggers.
- Stigma around seeking treatment.
Define a perpetuating factor.
A factor that inhibits a person's ability to recover from a specific phobia.
What is arachnophobia?
Fear of spiders.
Name a biological contributing factor of phobias.
Long term potentiation.
Name a psychological contributing factor to specific phobia.
- Classical conditioning.
- Operant conditioning.
- Memory bias.
- Catastrophic thinking.
Name a social intervention used to treat specific phobia.
- Psychoeducation.
Define a precipitating factor.
A factor that increases the susceptability to an contributes to the occurence of developing a specific phobia.
What is nomophobia?
Fear of being without your mobile phone or losing phone signal.
How does GABA dysfunction contribute to phobia?
- Lack of inhibitory effects of GABA may result in easier activation of flight-or-fight-or-freeze responses.
- Repeated stress response to specific stimulus leads to development of specific phobias.
Compare the two different types of cognitive bias that contribute to specifc phobia.
Memory bias - type of cogntive bias caused by inaccurate of exaggerated memory.
WHEREAS
Catastrophic thinking - Type of cogntive bias in which a stimulus or event is predicted to be far worse than it actually is.
How is psychoeducation used to assist in treating specific phobia?
- Reduces stigma within family and friends, allowing for a supportive and understanding social environment.
- Promotes encouragement of replacement of unrealistic cognitions, which may reduce cognitive bias.
- Promotes family to discourage avoidant behaviours.
Is operant conditioning a precipitating or perpertuating factor that contributes to specific phobia. Explain.
- Operant conditioning is a perpetuating factor that contributes to specific phobia.
- This is because negative reinforcement occur when an individual avoids a specific stimulus, which increases avoidant behaviours, hence inhibiting a person's ability to recover from specific phobia.
What is decidophobia?
Fear of making a decision.
How is breathing retraining used to treat specific phobia?
- Individual is taught by a doctor or psychologist how to regulate their breathing.
- The learner uses the breathing strategies learnt when faced with phobic stimulus.
- Physiological arousal (fight-or-flight-or-freeze response) is reduced.
How is cognitive behavioural therapy used to treat specific phobia?
- Therapist works with patient to identify the cognitions and behaviours that may perpetuate and contribute to specific phobia.
- Therapist works to modify unhealthy cognitions and behaviours that are recognised.
- This reduces cognitive bias associated with specific phobia and discourages avoidant behaviours which may be further perpetuating the phobia.
How do specific environmental triggers contribute to specific phobia?
- This leads to the development of a specific phobia.
Is classical conditioning a precipitating or perpetuating factor contributing to specific phobia. Explain.
- Classical conditioning is a precipitating factor contributing to specific phobia.
- Classical conditioning is an involuntary association between two or more stimuli. Phobias can be learned, and therfore developed, through classical conditioning. Because classical conditioning can contribute to the development of phobias by increasing the susceptibility to and contributing to the occurence of specific phobias, it is a precipitating factor.
What is arachibutyrophobia?
Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.
Describe the process of long term potentiation, and explain how it contributes to specific phobia.
- Long term potentiation - long lasting, experience dependent strengthening of synaptic connections that are repeatedly coactivated.
- Repeated coactivation of phobic stimulus and fear response results in strengthening of the synaptic connection between the two. Consequentially, fear response is triggered more readily in response to the phobic stimulus.
An individual was tying their shoe laces when their brother threw cup at them. Each time the individual tied their shoelaces, their brother threw a cup at their head, as he wanted to participate in the tiktok trend. Eventually, the individual developed a specfic phobia of tying their shoe laces. Name the neutral stimulus, unconditioned stimulus, unconditioned response, conditioned stimulus and conditioned response in this scenario.
Neutral stimulus - tying shoelaces.
Unconditioned stimulus - Having the cup thrown at them.
Unconditioned response - Fearing the pain of having a cup thrown at them.
Conditioned stimulus - Tying shoe laces.
Conditioned response - Fearing tying shoelaces.
- Direct confrontation - first hand exposure to a traumatic stimulus or event.
- Observation - Watching another person have a direct confrontation with a stimulus or an event indirectly.
- Learning/indirect confrontation - Learning about a potentially dangerous or traumatic stimulus or event indirectly.
State one difference and one similarity between perpetuating and precipitating factors in terms of specific phobia.
Similarity - Both perpetuating and precipitating factors contribute to specific phobia.
Difference - One refers to a factor increasing susceptability of developing specific phobia, one refers to a factor decreasing likelihood of recovering from a specific phobia.
What is anatidaephobia?
Fear that a duck is watching you somewhere in the world.