The behavioural approach views all behaviours as learned through classical conditioning, operant conditioning, or social learning. It focuses on observable and measurable behaviours. Therapies aim to change maladaptive learned responses through techniques like systematic desensitization, which uses counterconditioning to teach new adaptive responses by pairing relaxation with feared stimuli. While behavioural therapies can effectively treat some phobias, they may raise ethical issues by exposing clients to feared scenarios and are not effective for complex phobias with underlying survival components.

1. Behavioural Approach

2. Assumptions
All behaviours (normal and abnormal) are learned
Learned responses from environmental stimuli
Study observable behaviour

3. Causes
1.Classical Conditioning
Learning by association
2. Operant Conditioning
Learning by reinforcement
3. Social Learning
Learning by watching others being
rewarded

4. Classical Conditioning
What can you remember from attachment?
- Learning by association
- Creating a new response to
a stimulus
- Classical conditioning
schedule UCS = UCR
UCS + NS = UCR
CS = CR

5. Operant Conditioning
Learning by reinforcement
Reward = encourages certain behaviours
(increases chances of them being repeated)
Punishment = discourages certain behaviours
(decreases chances of them being repeated)

6. Social Learning Theory
Operant Conditioning from a distance...
Behaviours can be
encouraged/discouraged by
watching others being
rewarded/punished for them
– this is known as vicarious
learning

7. How would the behavioural approach
investigate abnormality?
Animal Studies
The same basic laws of learning
apply to human and non-human animals
What do you think the problem would be in using non-
human animals?
Extrapolation – it’s difficult to apply the
findings from non-human animal research to
humans

8. Scientific
For example, the behavioural approach
focuses on what is observable and
measureable
This is positive because it allows
concepts such as classical conditioning to
be demonstrated scientifically – allowing
for empirical support for the theory

9. Deterministic
For example, the approach suggests
that if we are rewarded for losing
weight that we will develop and
eating disorder
This is a weakness because it ignores the
concept of free will and the idea that
someone might exercise conscious
control over their behaviour

10. Reductionist
For example, it suggests that mental
illnesses are the result of
reward/punishment (e.g. Rewarded for
aggression results in more aggression)
This is a weakness because it reduces
the complex mental disorders down to
basic elements, it’s too simplistic!

11. Extrapolation
For example, rats have been widely used
by behaviourists to demonstrate
conditioning (so the research tests
animal behaviour – not human)
This is a weakness because that
research can’t be applied to humans
because they are biologically different
and may not respond in the same way at
animals

12. Key terms / Buzz words
Deterministic B.F. Skinner Classical
Learning Social Learning
Punishment Operant
Reward
Encourage
Reductionist Vicarious
Environment Animal Studies
‘Little Albert’ Scientific
Association
Extrapolation
Extrapolation Rats/pigeon

13. Behavioural
Therapies/Treatments
•Systematic Desensitisation

14. Quick recap of the behavioural
approach – what can you remember?
All behaviours are learnt
Classical conditioning – learning through association
Operant conditioning – learning through reinforcement
Social Learning – vicarious learning (through others)
Investigated using animal studies – issues with
extrapolation

15. If the behavioural approach believes that all
abnormalities are the result of learning – what
treatments do you think the approach would use
to treat disorders?
(Or, what would the treatments focus on ?)
More learning!!!

16. Systematic Desensitisation –
how it works
Used for phobias and OCD
• Works on classical conditioning techniques
• Changing previous learnt maladaptive responses
with new more adaptive responses
• Reciprocal inhibition
• Counter-conditioning
Someone with a fear of spiders will have learnt to feel afraid
when there’s a spider present so the therapy systematically
teaches the person a new response. The client is then taught
deep relaxation techniques to use when a spider is present –
enabling them to become desensitised to the spider

17. Systematic Desensitisation
A hierarchy of fearful situations is
created – each step being more fear-
provoking than the last
Client is taught deep relaxation
techniques
The client learns to associate the
relaxation with the least fearful scenario
Once that’s achieved the client is
encouraged to systematically make step
by step progress through the hierarchy

18. E.g. Of SD hierarchy

19. Systematic Desensitisation– is it
any good as a treatment?
Yes and no…
+ Barlow et al (2002) SD can be
useful/effective for some
phobias
- Ethical issues
- Ohman et al (1975) SD isn’t
effective for complex phobias

20. SD is effective
For example, Barlow et al (2002) found success rates of
between 60-90% for specific phobias
This is positive because the success of behavioural
therapies means there’s no need for potentially damaging
biological treatment (e.g. Drugs)

21. Ethical Issues
For example, clients undergoing SD are exposed to their
most feared scenario, potentially experiencing high
stress
This is a weakness because clients may not stay in
therapy to reach ‘cure’ and may leave in a worse state
than they entered

22. Not effective for complex
phobias
For example, Ohman et al (1975) suggested that SD isn’t
effective in treating anxieties with an underlying
survival component (e.g. Heights)
A weakness because SD only focuses on removing
symptoms rather than identifying the underlying cause of
the disorder – meaning the effects of treatment by only
be temporary