The Behaviour Model

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The Behaviour Model
Individuals with mental disorders possess forms
of behaviour which have been learned by Classical
conditioning and operant conditioning
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Classical Conditioning

• This involves learning by association i.e a
  neutral stimulus is paired repeatedly with a
  second stimulus, so that they become associated
  with each other.

Unconditioned Response e.g Salivation from reflex
response
U.S
E.g food
N.S and U.S
Conditioned response e.g the bell causes
salivation
e.g bell
Where U.S means Unconditioned stimulus and N.S
means Neutral Stimulus
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Operant Conditioning

• This involves learning by a new response. This
  increases the likelihood that the behaviour will
  be repeated if the reinforcement is positive, and
  extinguished if it is

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Lewinsohn Argued
Produce Fewer responses
Low level of reinforcement
Depression
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Social Learning Theory

• Bandura further developed conditioning theory by
  adding observational learning or modelling. This
  involves imitating the conditioning of someone
  else

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Mineka found that this can even occur in animals

• He found that monkeys could develop snake phobia
  simply by watching another monkey experience fear
  in the presence of a snake. One might assume that
  the same principle apply to humans.

This is an example of vicarious reinforcement
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Treatment based on the behavioural model
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Treatment

• Treatment involves further conditioning or
  observational learning designed to eliminate the
  maladaptive forms of behaviour that have been
  learnt
• In other words, if a behaviour was learned in the
  first place, then it can be unlearned using the
  same processes of conditioning observational
  learning.

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Types of behavioural treatment

• Aversion therapy
• Systematic desensitisation
• Token economy
• Modelling

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Aversion therapy

• Classical conditioning is used so that patients
  learn to associate things they are trying to stop
  with unpleasant responses
• E.g. alcoholics given a drug which made them
  feel nauseous when they so much as smelt alcohol.

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Systematic desensitisation

• Also based on classical conditioning though less
  controversial
• It is a form of counter conditioning
• Client is taught muscle relaxation which is
  incompatible with fear, to be used when
  confronted by their phobia.
• Together, they construct an anxiety hierarchy,
  ranging from the most anxious situations to the
  least.
• Client reaches deep relaxation, asked to imagine
  least threatening situation from hierarchy
• Process repeated until no anxiety is provoked.

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Token Economy

• This is used with institutionalised patients.
  They are rewards or reinforcements for behaving
  in appropriate ways. These tokens act as
  reinforcers.
• Ayllon and Azrin (1968) carried out an experiment
  on women who had been hospitalised for an average
  of 16 years. They used token economy, rewarding
  the patients when they performed household
  chores. Over time, the number of chores
  performed each day by one patient increased from
  5 to over 40.

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Modelling

• Modelling is used to treat phobias. A patient
  watches the therapist experiencing the phobic
  situation and then imitates the same behaviour.
• Bandura et al. (1969) found that a live example
  of the phobia (such as a real snake) worked much
  better than a representation.
• Modelling has been used successfully to help
  people cope better in social situations and
  situations they fear, such as visiting the
  dentist.

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Ethical implications of the behavioural model

• Mental disorders are not regarded as illnesses,
  instead, it is assumed that mental disorders
  result from maladaptive learning.
• It focuses on each individuals particular
  experiences and conditioning history means that
  the behavioural model is sensitive to cultural
  and social factors.
• It is non-judgemental, no one to blame.

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Continued

• Abnormal behaviour is determined mainly by
  environmental factors. So the individual is not
  held responsible.
• Some treatments involve administering very
  unpleasant stimuli, e.g electric shocks
• Most forms of treatment involve changing
  behaviour and neglect a patients thoughts and
  feelings.

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Evaluation

• The starting point for any of these treatments is
  to identify those aspects of behaviour that are
  maladaptive and require changing

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Evaluation cont....

• After that, maladaptive responses are reduced by
  conditioning or observational learning
  techniques.
• Focus is on the patients behavioural symptoms
  rather than the underlying cause of the disorder.

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Evaluation cont....

• Successful with disorders such as phobias
• Applicable more to disorders with visible
  symptoms
• Exaggerates the importance of environmental
  factors and minimises genetic factors and
  internal processes

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... And finally

• The Behaviour Model ignores genetic factors, so
  cannot fully explain disorders such as
  schizophrenia
• It can also be oversimplified and narrow at times