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8 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Background |
- Sees phobias as serving an evolutionary purpose - Introduces a genetic element |
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Aim |
See if phobias of snakes can be more easily conditioned to those of houses or faces (indicating a biological preparedness to develop phobias of certain objects) |
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Approach |
Classical conditioning = behaviourist Explanation = biological |
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Method |
- Lab experiment - Pps linked to shock machine - Fear reaction measured - Independent design - 3 conditions of faces, houses and snakes - 64 paid volunteers, psychological students from Sweden |
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Details |
- Pictures shown then pps were shocked immediately after - 32 pps shocked after snakes and 16 after houses and 16 after faces |
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Results |
- Similar measures of skin conductance prior to conditioned stimuli Snakes = 0.062 Houses and faces = 0.048 The high the conductance the more they were sweating |
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Conclusion |
Participants more likely to show fear reactions to snakes than houses or faces. Shows biological preparedness to develop phobias to objects that may cause us danger, such as snakes. People do not inherit a specific gene for an illness rather people inherit the vulnerability to it. |
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Evaluation |
- Pps were paid and psychology students so demand characteristics may effect results - Ecological validity - not real life situation as in a lab - Different symptoms for different phobias, may be more complicated than suggested - Fears conducted under lab conditions are easily removed by verbal instruction and unlike phobias that people would acquire in the real world |
