BEHAVIOUR THERAPY

abnormal psychology

PUNE UNI SYBA

schedules of reinforcement
Reinforcement

Continuous (Behaviour stops as soon as reinforcemen t stops)

Partial/Intermit tent Ratio (no. of responses) Interval (time as important factor) Fixed Interval

Fixed Ratio (no. of responses are fixed to receive reward) Variable Ratio (changeable no. of responses, hence behaviour is repeated)

Variable Interval

background/history 1. John Watson is considered the most influential person in the development of behaviorism. It was formed as reaction against Freudian emphasis on the unconscious as the subject matter of psychology and introspection as the method of its investigation. He believed the behavior should be the sole subject matter and it should be studied through observation. 2. Ivan Pavlov was another important behaviorist, who discovered the principle of classical conditioning. 3. The third most influential behaviorist was BF Skinner. He discovered the principle of operant conditioning.

systematic desensitization 1. Joseph Wolpe coined this term and it was based on his idea of reciprocal inhibition which consists of the following three steps: i. Relaxation: Jacobsons Progressive Muscular Relaxation (JMPR), also called deep muscular relaxation involves the patient being asked to tighten their muscles and then release them as he feels relaxed (whole procedure takes ~45 minutes).

Hierarchy: the client is given index-cards to note down situations that make him anxious in terms of the main phobia. The client then rates it in a scale of 1-100 in terms of level of anxiety if put in that state. iii. Pairing of hierarchy and relaxation: once the client is relaxed, he is asked to imagine the first situation. They are asked to put in detailed information so that it is easier to imagine the situation like they would really be experiencing it. 2. The theory behind systematic desensitization is that relaxation response competes with the previously learned anxiety responses. When a response incompatible with anxiety (relaxation) is paired with an anxiety evoking stimulus, the association between the anxiety producing stimulus and anxiety will be lessened.

ii.

aversion therapy 1. It is one of the oldest behavior modification techniques developed in the 1930s. Like other behavior therapies, it is based in learning theory (specifically, aversion therapy is based on the framework of classical conditioning). 2. The therapy uses conditioning to make the patient associate a pleasant stimulus with a sensation which is unpleasant with the purpose of stopping that type of behavior in the future. 3. It is used especially for addictions (to alcohol, drugs, smoking etc.).