The Pros And Cons Of Operant Conditioning

Behaviour is maladaptive, and is believed to be learnt from a person’s environment. There has been a large amount of research conducted that supports this, as well as the nurture side in the nature nurture debate. This research considers the principles of learning which is made up of three factors; classical conditioning which is the process of learning through association, it involves two stimuli’s being linked together to produce a conditioned reflex. Pavlov’s 1890 experiment of the salivation of dogs, from bringing them food to the sound of a bell, is used to support this. Operant conditioning is the process of learning through consequences and reinforcements. Thorndike 1898 conducted a study where a cat would escape a puzzle box to eat,

There are different types of phobias such as specific phobias, social phobias and agoraphobia. Behaviourists believe these abnormal behaviours are caused by classical and operant conditioning, and therefore the behaviour can be unlearnt (Dwyer & Charles, 2006). Systematic desensitisation was developed in the 1950’s by Joseph Wolpe, as a type of exposure therapy used to treat phobias. It uses the counterconditioning principles by showing the fear stimulus is disproportionate to the behavioural response. It involves systematic and gradual exposure to the patients fear. This is done through the process of a hierarchy going from the least to the highest extent of fear caused by the phobia. In addition, patients are taught relaxation techniques to overcome their anxiety, like muscle relaxation. These are used to desensitise the fear. Once the patient can relax around their once feared stimulus they are able to relate neutral emotions towards it (Cardwell & Flanagan, 2008). This type of therapy can be used both in vivo and more commonly en vitro methods, which can be done in a numerous of ways such as imagination and virtual reality. In 1996 Rothbaum found treatment using virtual reality to be 100% effective with 12 patients with acrophobia. This method of therapy also allows the patient to be in control of their fear (Gross, 2010.) Furthermore, virtual therapy has grown over the years allowing patients to experience stimulation of neurons in the brain. Therefore virtual therapy gives patients the opportunity to perform virtual activities that do not actually put strain on their bodies or cause any pain, improving brain functioning in the