GCSE Psychology

1
GCSE Psychology

• Topic D Why do we have phobias?
• The nature-nurture debate

2
Homework check

• Homework define nature and nurture.
• Give an example of how each can cause phobias.
• Nature the way we are born
• Nurture the way we are brought up
• Parents with phobias (nature) may be more likely
  to have children with phobias
• A child attacked by a dog (nurture) develops a
  phobia of dogs

3
Learning objectives

• To learn about nature and phobias.
• To learn about nurture and phobias.
• To investigate how important nature and nurture
  are in the development of phobias.

4
Preparedness

• Read page 134.
• Who suggested we can use evolution to explain
  irrational phobias in 1971?
• What is preparedness?
• Complete the following Gapfil activity

5
Preparedness

• Seligman .suggested that we can use evolution
  to explain irrational phobias. He said we learn
  ..between some things morethan
  others, for example we are more likely to fear
  ..water or thunder than long grass
  or. Evolution seems to have
  . us to learn about things that are
  threatening, this is called preparedness.
  Seligman thought that .input was needed
  to learn an .to a prepared stimulus
  than to a non-prepared one. E.g. if we learn to
  be afraid of fire, we will make an association
  between ..and fire much more quickly than
  between fear and a ..-stimulus such
  as a rock.
• Seligman went on to say that prepared stimuli
  would have been ..to humans early in
  .e.g. fearing poisonous snakes
  and..would have been prepared stimuli and
  if playing it safe meant you were more likely to
  . then the humans would go
  on to have moreand their
  ..would carry on to the next.
• children evolution less fear spiders
• threatening sunshine survive genes
• prepared links easily association
• non-prepared deep fittest generation

6

• Read page 135 .
• Define preparedness and review one-trial
  learning.
• Draw a picture of an example of one-trial
  learning.

7
Which is the most valid explanation?

• Nature
• (preparedness)

• Nurture
• (SLT, Classical / operant Conditioning)

8
If you can find a computer

• www.heinemann.co.uk/hotlinks and enter express
  code 4837P.
• Read about evolution and phobias on the Psych Web
  website.
• Complete questions 1-3 at the bottom of page 135.
• Homework define nature and nurture.
• Give an example of how each can cause phobias.