Why is "Confusing systematic desensitisation with flooding" a common mistake in Anxiety Disorders and Fear Related Disorders?

Why it happens: Both use exposure. How to avoid it: SD is GRADUAL (relaxation + hierarchy); flooding is IMMEDIATE, full exposure. State the difference. Source: 9990 Paper 3 mark schemes

Why is "Explaining acquisition but not maintenance" a common mistake in Anxiety Disorders and Fear Related Disorders?

Why it happens: Students stop at classical conditioning. How to avoid it: Include the two-process model: avoidance → relief → negative reinforcement MAINTAINS the phobia.

Why is "Saying all phobias trigger fight-or-flight" a common mistake in Anxiety Disorders and Fear Related Disorders?

Why it happens: It is the typical response. How to avoid it: Blood-injection-injury phobia can cause FAINTING (blood pressure drop) — treated with applied tension, not relaxation alone.

Why is "Treating preparedness as just another learning point" a common mistake in Anxiety Disorders and Fear Related Disorders?

Why it happens: It appears in the behavioural section. How to avoid it: Preparedness is a BIOLOGICAL (nature) factor — use it to criticise pure conditioning and support diathesis–stress.

Why is "Evaluating without the named debate" a common mistake in Anxiety Disorders and Fear Related Disorders?

Why it happens: Generic evaluation habit. How to avoid it: Tie points to the named debate (e.g. nature–nurture → diathesis–stress) to reach the top band on Paper 3.

Clinical Psychology (A Level)Cambridge International A Level Psychology 9990

Anxiety Disorders and Fear Related Disorders

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Anxiety & Fear-Related Disorders (Clinical Psychology) — Cambridge A Level Psychology 9990 Study Notes (2024-2026)

Phobias and related anxiety disorders. This note builds the background (fear vs anxiety; how a phobia differs from normal fear), then drills the diagnostic criteria, the behavioural (Watson & Rayner; the two-process model; preparedness), cognitive and biomedical explanations, and the systematic-desensitisation, flooding, CBT and drug treatments — with the evaluation that scores on Paper 3.

At a glance

What they are: disorders of excessive fear/anxiety that are out of proportion and impair daily life.
Specific phobia: intense, persistent fear of a particular object/situation (e.g. spiders, heights, injections).
Agoraphobia: fear of situations where escape is difficult or help unavailable (crowds, open/enclosed spaces, transport).
Social anxiety disorder: fear of social/performance situations where one might be judged.
Behavioural explanation: phobias are learned — classical conditioning (Watson & Rayner, 'Little Albert') and maintained by operant conditioning (the two-process model).
Preparedness (Seligman): we are biologically prepared to fear ancient threats (snakes, heights) more easily.
Cognitive & biomedical explanations: catastrophic/biased thinking; genetic and neurochemical vulnerability.
Treatments: systematic desensitisation (Wolpe), flooding, CBT, and drugs (e.g. SSRIs/benzodiazepines).

What you’ll learn

Mapped to the Cambridge International A Level 9990 syllabus (2024-2026).

Describe anxiety/fear-related disorders and how they are diagnosed (specific phobia, agoraphobia, social anxiety).
Describe and evaluate the behavioural explanation (classical conditioning; the two-process model; preparedness).
Describe and evaluate the cognitive and biomedical explanations.
Describe and evaluate systematic desensitisation and flooding.
Describe and evaluate CBT and drug treatments, and relate to issues & debates.

Fear, anxiety and what makes a phobia (background substance)

Fear is a response to a present threat; anxiety anticipates threat; a phobia is excessive, persistent and impairing.

Start with the difference between normal and disordered fear.

Fear vs anxiety. Fear is an immediate response to a present threat; anxiety is anticipation of a future threat. Both are adaptive in moderation — fear of a real danger keeps us safe.

What makes it a phobia/disorder. A normal fear becomes a disorder when it is:

excessive / out of proportion to the actual danger,
persistent (typically 6 months or more), and
causes marked distress or avoidance that impairs daily life.

The anxiety response. Phobic anxiety involves the fight-or-flight response — the sympathetic nervous system triggers racing heart, sweating, rapid breathing. The person then avoids the feared stimulus, which brings relief but maintains the phobia (they never learn it is safe).

Diagnosis. Clinicians match symptoms to DSM-5/ICD-11 criteria (the fear is out of proportion, leads to avoidance, lasts ~6 months, and impairs functioning). (See the [[schizophrenia]] note for the general diagnosis framework.)

Why this matters. The idea that avoidance maintains the phobia is the key to both the two-process model and the treatments (which all involve facing the feared stimulus so the fear can extinguish).

Fear = response to present threat; anxiety = anticipation of future threat.
Phobia = fear that is excessive, persistent (~6 months) and impairing.
Anxiety response = fight-or-flight (sympathetic nervous system).
Avoidance brings relief but MAINTAINS the phobia.
Diagnosis: out of proportion + avoidance + ~6 months + impairment.

Types and diagnostic criteria

Specific phobia, agoraphobia and social anxiety disorder — each an excessive, persistent fear leading to avoidance.

Specific phobia — a marked, persistent fear of a particular object or situation. DSM-5 groups them: animal (spiders, dogs), natural environment (heights, water), blood-injection-injury (notable because it can cause fainting, not just fight-or-flight), and situational (lifts, flying).

Agoraphobia — fear/anxiety about situations where escape might be difficult or help unavailable if panic occurs: e.g. public transport, open spaces, enclosed spaces, crowds, or being outside the home alone. It can become severely restricting.

Social anxiety disorder (social phobia) — marked fear of social or performance situations in which the person may be scrutinised or judged (e.g. speaking, eating in public), leading to avoidance.

Common diagnostic thread: the fear is out of proportion, leads to avoidance (or endured with distress), is persistent (~6 months), and causes significant impairment.

Specific phobia: animal / natural environment / blood-injection-injury / situational.
Blood-injection-injury phobia can cause FAINTING (drop in blood pressure), not just fight-or-flight.
Agoraphobia: fear of situations where escape/help is hard (transport, crowds, open/enclosed spaces).
Social anxiety: fear of being judged in social/performance situations.
All: out of proportion + avoidance + ~6 months + impairment.

Behavioural explanation — conditioning and preparedness

Phobias are learned by classical conditioning (Little Albert), maintained by operant avoidance (two-process model); preparedness explains common phobias.

Classical conditioning (acquisition). A phobia can be learned by association: a neutral stimulus paired with a frightening event becomes a conditioned stimulus that triggers fear.

Watson & Rayner (1920) — 'Little Albert': a baby was conditioned to fear a white rat by pairing it with a loud, frightening noise; the fear then generalised to similar furry objects. This is the classic demonstration that phobias can be conditioned.

Operant conditioning (maintenance). Once learned, the phobia is maintained because avoiding the feared stimulus reduces anxiety — this relief is negative reinforcement. This combination is Mowrer's two-process model: classical conditioning starts the phobia, operant conditioning keeps it going.

Social learning can also contribute (learning fear by observing a fearful model).

Preparedness (Seligman). We are biologically prepared to acquire fears of things that threatened ancestors (snakes, spiders, heights, the dark) more easily than modern dangers (cars, electricity) — which explains why phobias cluster around ancient threats.

Evaluation in brief. Strong evidence (Little Albert; therapies based on it work), but not everyone with a phobia recalls a conditioning event, and the account underplays cognition and biology — preparedness shows learning alone isn't the full story.

Classical conditioning acquires the phobia (Little Albert; fear generalised).
Operant conditioning maintains it: avoidance → relief → negative reinforcement.
Two-process model (Mowrer): classical starts, operant maintains.
Preparedness (Seligman): we learn fears of ancient threats more easily.
Evaluation: + Little Albert + effective therapies; − not all recall a trauma; ignores cognition/biology.

Cognitive and biomedical explanations

Cognitive: catastrophic/biased thinking about the feared stimulus; biomedical: genetic and neurochemical vulnerability.

Cognitive explanation. Phobias involve distorted, catastrophic thinking about the feared object or situation — overestimating the danger and underestimating one's ability to cope. Selective attention to threat and catastrophic predictions ('I'll faint and everyone will laugh') maintain the anxiety. This underpins CBT.

Biomedical explanation.

Genetic — anxiety disorders run in families; twin studies suggest an inherited vulnerability to anxiety.
Neurochemical — abnormalities in GABA (an inhibitory neurotransmitter that calms neural activity) and serotonin are linked to heightened anxiety; an overactive amygdala (the brain's fear centre) is implicated.
Evidence: anti-anxiety drugs that boost GABA (benzodiazepines) reduce anxiety.

Evaluation in brief. The cognitive account explains the thinking that maintains phobias and leads to effective CBT, but may describe maintenance rather than origin. The biomedical account is scientific and leads to drug treatment, but is reductionist and cannot easily explain why a phobia attaches to a specific object.

Cognitive: catastrophic thinking + overestimating danger / underestimating coping → underpins CBT.
Biomedical genetic: inherited vulnerability to anxiety (twin studies).
Biomedical neurochemical: low GABA/serotonin, overactive amygdala.
Evidence: GABA-boosting drugs (benzodiazepines) reduce anxiety.
Evaluation: cognitive explains maintenance; biomedical scientific but reductionist.

Treatments — systematic desensitisation, flooding, CBT and drugs

Exposure-based behavioural therapies (SD, flooding), cognitive CBT, and anti-anxiety drugs.

All effective therapies share one logic: face the fear so it can extinguish.

Systematic desensitisation (Wolpe).

Based on counter-conditioning: you cannot be relaxed and afraid at once (reciprocal inhibition).
Steps: (1) learn relaxation; (2) build a fear hierarchy (least → most feared); (3) work gradually up the hierarchy while staying relaxed (in imagination or real life) until each step no longer causes fear.
- + Gentle, effective, lasting; well-tolerated. − Slower; needs the patient to imagine/engage.

Flooding.

Immediate, full exposure to the most feared stimulus (no gradual steps), with no escape, until the anxiety peaks and subsides (extinction).
- + Fast and effective. − Highly stressful (ethical concerns); not suitable for everyone.

Applied tension is used for blood-injection-injury phobia (tense muscles to raise blood pressure and prevent fainting).

CBT.

Challenges the catastrophic thoughts, tests them against reality, and combines this with exposure and coping strategies.
- + Tackles thinking and behaviour; lasting. − Requires engagement/effort.

Drug therapy.

SSRIs (raise serotonin) and benzodiazepines (boost GABA) reduce anxiety.
- + Fast symptom relief, useful alongside therapy. − Side effects, dependence (benzodiazepines), treat symptoms not cause.

Systematic desensitisation (Wolpe): relaxation + fear hierarchy + gradual exposure (counter-conditioning).
Flooding: immediate full exposure until anxiety subsides (fast but stressful).
Applied tension: for blood-injection-injury phobia (raise blood pressure, prevent fainting).
CBT: challenge catastrophic thoughts + exposure.
Drugs: SSRIs (serotonin), benzodiazepines (GABA) — side effects/dependence.

Evaluation and issues & debates

Effective, well-evidenced treatments, but reductionism, ethics of flooding and nature–nurture recur.

Bring it together for Paper 3 'evaluate / discuss'.

Strengths

Highly effective treatments (systematic desensitisation, CBT) with strong evidence.
Testable explanations; clear explanation→treatment logic (exposure works because avoidance maintains fear).

Weaknesses / issues

Reductionism — behavioural/biomedical accounts may oversimplify; phobias likely involve learning and cognition and biology.
Cause vs effect / origin — not everyone recalls a conditioning event; cognitive accounts may describe maintenance not cause.
Ethics — flooding is highly stressful (protection from harm); drug dependence (benzodiazepines).

Relevant issues & debates

Nature vs nurture — preparedness (nature) vs conditioning (nurture); diathesis–stress integrates them (a biological vulnerability + a learning experience).
Reductionism vs holism; free will vs determinism (conditioning is deterministic; CBT assumes change is possible).
Application to everyday life — therapy choice; exposure-based apps and clinics.

Strengths: effective treatments (SD, CBT); clear explanation→treatment logic.
Weaknesses: reductionism; not all recall a trauma; flooding ethics; drug dependence.
Nature (preparedness) vs nurture (conditioning); diathesis–stress integrates.
Debates: reductionism vs holism; free will vs determinism; application.

How it’s examined

Examined in the Clinical Psychology option on Paper 3 (Specialist Options: Theory) — describe (a type/criteria, an explanation, a treatment) and evaluate/discuss with a named issue or debate (nature–nurture, reductionism, ethics of flooding). On Paper 4 (Application) you may apply a therapy (e.g. design a fear hierarchy) or design a study. Examiner guidance: keep systematic desensitisation distinct from flooding, use the two-process model to link explanation and treatment, and note the blood-injection-injury/applied-tension exception.

Sources: Cambridge International AS & A Level Psychology 9990 syllabus (2024-2026); Watson, J.B. & Rayner, R. (1920) 'Little Albert'; Mowrer two-process model; Wolpe, J. — systematic desensitisation; Seligman — preparedness; DSM-5 (APA) and ICD-11 (WHO) diagnostic criteria; 9990 Learner Guide, Scheme of Work & past Paper 3/4 mark schemes. Last reviewed 2026-05-21.

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Step-by-step worked examples — Anxiety Disorders and Fear Related Disorders

Step-by-step solutions to past-paper-style questions on anxiety disorders and fear related disorders, written exactly the way a tutor would explain them at the board.

1Identify a phobia type (2 marks)
Getting started• diagnosis, AO1
Question
Name two types of anxiety/fear-related disorder. (2 marks)
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Specific phobia (e.g. of spiders, heights or injections).
2. Step 2
  Agoraphobia or social anxiety disorder.
Answer
Specific phobia and agoraphobia (or social anxiety disorder). (2)
Examiner tip
Any two valid types score; agoraphobia = fear of situations where escape/help is difficult.
2Outline classical conditioning of a phobia (2 marks)
Getting started• explanation, AO1
Question
Outline how a phobia can be acquired through classical conditioning. (2 marks)
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  A neutral stimulus is paired with a frightening event.
2. Step 2
  It becomes a conditioned stimulus that triggers a conditioned fear response.
Answer
A neutral stimulus paired with a frightening event becomes a conditioned stimulus that triggers fear. (2)
Examiner tip
Referencing Little Albert (rat + loud noise) is creditable supporting detail.
3Explain the two-process model (4 marks)
Building confidence• explanation, AO2
Question
Explain how the two-process model accounts for phobias. (4 marks)
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Process 1 (acquisition): the phobia is learned by classical conditioning (association with fear).
2. Step 2
  Process 2 (maintenance): the person avoids the feared stimulus.
3. Step 3
  Avoidance reduces anxiety, which is relief — negative reinforcement.
4. Step 4
  So the phobia persists because avoidance is reinforced and the person never learns it is safe.
Answer
Classical conditioning acquires the phobia; operant avoidance (negative reinforcement) maintains it, so the fear never extinguishes. (4)
Examiner tip
The maintenance half (avoidance → relief → negative reinforcement) is what distinguishes a top answer.
4Explain preparedness (4 marks)
Building confidence• explanation, AO2
Question
Explain Seligman's concept of preparedness in relation to phobias. (4 marks)
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Preparedness = we are biologically prepared to fear certain stimuli.
2. Step 2
  These are stimuli that threatened ancestors (snakes, spiders, heights, the dark).
3. Step 3
  We acquire fears of these more easily than of modern dangers (cars, electricity).
4. Step 4
  This explains why phobias cluster around ancient threats — pure conditioning cannot explain this pattern.
Answer
We are biologically prepared to acquire fears of ancient threats (snakes, heights) more easily than modern dangers — explaining why phobias cluster there. (4)
Examiner tip
Use preparedness as a CRITICISM of pure conditioning (it shows biology matters too) for AO2/AO3 credit.
5Describe systematic desensitisation (6 marks)
Stretch• treatment, AO1, Paper 3
Question
Describe how systematic desensitisation is used to treat a phobia. (6 marks)
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  It is based on counter-conditioning: you cannot be relaxed and afraid at the same time (reciprocal inhibition).
2. Step 2
  The patient is first taught a deep relaxation technique.
3. Step 3
  A fear hierarchy is built, from least to most feared situations.
4. Step 4
  Starting at the bottom, the patient faces each step while staying relaxed.
5. Step 5
  They move up only when each step no longer causes anxiety (in imagination or real life).
6. Step 6
  Eventually the most feared situation is faced while relaxed, so the fear is replaced by calm.
Answer
Relaxation training + a fear hierarchy + gradual exposure while relaxed (counter-conditioning), moving up only when each step is anxiety-free. (6)
Examiner tip
Top band needs counter-conditioning, relaxation, the hierarchy AND the gradual progression.
6Evaluate — nature vs nurture (4 marks)
Stretch• evaluation, AO3, nature-nurture, exam-technique
Question
Evaluate the behavioural explanation of phobias with reference to nature and nurture. (4 marks)
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Point. The behavioural explanation emphasises nurture (learning).
2. Step 2
  Explain. It says phobias are conditioned and maintained by experience.
3. Step 3
  Evidence (in context). But not everyone with a phobia recalls a conditioning event, and preparedness shows a biological (nature) component.
4. Step 4
  Link. A diathesis–stress model (nature + nurture) explains phobias better than learning alone.
Answer
The behavioural account stresses nurture (conditioning), but preparedness and unremembered onsets show nature also matters — diathesis–stress integrates both. (4)
Examiner tip
Tie the point explicitly to nature–nurture and resolve with diathesis–stress for the top band.

Model Answers — Anxiety Disorders and Fear Related Disorders

High-scoring sample answers for anxiety disorders and fear related disorders on the Cambridge International A Level 9990 paper, with examiner-style notes mapping each response to the mark scheme and assessment objectives.

Question 1
9990 Paper 3 (describe) style6 marks
Q (6 marks). Describe the behavioural explanation of phobias.
Model answer
The behavioural explanation argues phobias are learned. A phobia is acquired through classical conditioning: a neutral stimulus paired with a frightening event becomes a conditioned stimulus that triggers a conditioned fear response. Watson and Rayner's (1920) 'Little Albert' study demonstrated this — a baby was conditioned to fear a white rat by pairing it with a loud noise, and the fear generalised to similar furry objects.

The phobia is then maintained through operant conditioning: the person avoids the feared stimulus, which reduces anxiety, and this relief is negative reinforcement that strengthens the avoidance. This combination is Mowrer's two-process model (classical conditioning starts the phobia, operant conditioning maintains it). Seligman's preparedness adds that we are biologically prepared to acquire fears of ancient threats (snakes, heights) more readily than modern ones, explaining why phobias cluster around certain stimuli.
Why this scores
Why this scores well. It covers acquisition (classical, Little Albert), maintenance (operant, two-process model) and preparedness — the full behavioural account with accurate detail.
Question 2
9990 Paper 3 (evaluate with named debate) style10 marks
Q (10 marks). Evaluate the behavioural explanation and treatment of phobias, including a discussion of nature and nurture.
Model answer
Strength 1 — strong supporting evidence. The explanation is backed by evidence such as Little Albert (a conditioned, generalised fear) and by the success of exposure therapies, which work exactly as the model predicts — by preventing avoidance so fear can extinguish.

Strength 2 — effective, logical treatments. It produces highly effective treatments (systematic desensitisation, flooding) with a clear explanation→treatment link: because avoidance maintains the phobia, facing the stimulus removes it. This practical success is a major strength.

Weakness 1 — nature vs nurture (named debate). The behavioural account stresses nurture (learning), but this is incomplete. Not everyone with a phobia recalls a conditioning event, and Seligman's preparedness shows a nature (biological) component — we acquire some fears far more easily than others. A diathesis–stress model (a biological vulnerability triggered by a learning experience) integrates nature and nurture better than learning alone.

Weakness 2 — it underplays cognition. Phobias also involve catastrophic thinking about the feared stimulus, which the behavioural account ignores; this is why CBT (adding cognitive work to exposure) can be more effective for some patients.

Conclusion. The behavioural explanation is well-evidenced and has produced effective treatments, but because it underplays biology and cognition, the nature–nurture debate is best resolved by a diathesis–stress model combining a prepared vulnerability with conditioning and thought.
Why this scores
Why this reaches the top band. Two strengths and two weaknesses, the named debate (nature–nurture) developed into diathesis–stress, plus the cognition point and a reasoned conclusion (AO3).
Question 3
9990 Paper 3 (describe) style6 marks
Q (6 marks). Describe systematic desensitisation and flooding as treatments for phobias.
Model answer
Systematic desensitisation (Wolpe) is based on counter-conditioning — you cannot feel relaxed and afraid at once (reciprocal inhibition). The patient is taught relaxation, builds a fear hierarchy from least to most feared situations, and then faces each step gradually while staying relaxed, moving up only when a step no longer causes anxiety, until the most feared situation can be faced calmly.

Flooding takes the opposite approach: the patient is exposed immediately and fully to the most feared stimulus, with no gradual steps and no escape, until the anxiety peaks and then naturally subsides (extinction). It is faster than systematic desensitisation but far more stressful, raising ethical concerns. Both treatments work by the same principle — exposure prevents avoidance so the conditioned fear can extinguish — but differ in being gradual (SD) versus immediate (flooding).
Why this scores
Why this scores well. Both treatments are accurately described and explicitly contrasted (gradual vs immediate), with the shared exposure principle — precise AO1.
Question 4
9990 Paper 4 (application) style8 marks
Q (8 marks). A psychologist wants to test whether systematic desensitisation reduces fear of spiders better than no treatment. Suggest how this could be investigated, with reference to research methods.
Model answer
A suitable design is a laboratory/field experiment with an independent-measures design. The independent variable is whether participants receive systematic desensitisation or no treatment (control); the dependent variable is fear of spiders, operationalised using a standardised fear questionnaire and/or a behavioural approach test (how close the person will go to a real spider), measured before and after.

Participants with a spider phobia would be randomly allocated to the two conditions, with the same measures and timing for both (standardisation). Comparing the change in fear scores shows whether systematic desensitisation worked. Ethical safeguards are crucial given the distress involved: informed consent, the right to withdraw, protection from harm, and offering the treatment to the control group afterwards. Strengths include an objective behavioural measure and control allowing cause and effect; weaknesses include possible demand characteristics, individual differences in phobia severity, and that self-reported fear may be subjective. A follow-up would test whether the reduction in fear lasts.
Why this scores
Why this scores well. It operationalises the DV (questionnaire + behavioural test), uses random allocation/standardisation, includes the key ethics (control gets treatment after), and evaluates the design — strong Paper 4 application.

Key Definitions and Keywords — Anxiety Disorders and Fear Related Disorders

Definitions to memorise and the exact keywords mark schemes credit for anxiety disorders and fear related disorders answers — sharpened from recent examiner reports for the 2026 Cambridge International A Level 9990 sitting.

Phobia
Examiner keyword
An anxiety disorder involving an excessive, persistent fear of an object or situation, leading to avoidance and impairment.
Specific phobia
Examiner keyword
A marked fear of a particular object/situation (animal, natural environment, blood-injection-injury, situational).
Agoraphobia
Examiner keyword
Fear of situations where escape might be difficult or help unavailable (crowds, open/enclosed spaces, transport).
Classical conditioning (acquisition)
Examiner keyword
Learning a phobia by association — a neutral stimulus paired with fear becomes a conditioned stimulus.
Two-process model (Mowrer)
Examiner keyword
Phobias are acquired by classical conditioning and maintained by operant conditioning (avoidance is negatively reinforced).
Preparedness (Seligman)
Examiner keyword
The biological tendency to acquire fears of ancient threats (snakes, heights) more easily than modern dangers.
Systematic desensitisation (Wolpe)
Examiner keyword
A behavioural therapy using relaxation, a fear hierarchy and gradual exposure (counter-conditioning) to remove a phobia.
Flooding
Examiner keyword
Immediate, full exposure to the most feared stimulus, with no escape, until anxiety peaks and subsides (extinction).
Reciprocal inhibition
The principle that relaxation and fear cannot occur at the same time — the basis of systematic desensitisation.
Applied tension
A treatment for blood-injection-injury phobia: tensing muscles to raise blood pressure and prevent fainting.

Common Mistakes and Misconceptions — Anxiety Disorders and Fear Related Disorders

The traps other students keep falling into on anxiety disorders and fear related disorders questions — taken from recent Cambridge International A Level 9990 examiner reports and mark schemes — and how to avoid them.

✕Confusing systematic desensitisation with flooding
9990 Paper 3 mark schemes
Why it happens
Both use exposure.
How to avoid it
SD is GRADUAL (relaxation + hierarchy); flooding is IMMEDIATE, full exposure. State the difference.
✕Explaining acquisition but not maintenance
Why it happens
Students stop at classical conditioning.
How to avoid it
Include the two-process model: avoidance → relief → negative reinforcement MAINTAINS the phobia.
✕Saying all phobias trigger fight-or-flight
Why it happens
It is the typical response.
How to avoid it
Blood-injection-injury phobia can cause FAINTING (blood pressure drop) — treated with applied tension, not relaxation alone.
✕Treating preparedness as just another learning point
Why it happens
It appears in the behavioural section.
How to avoid it
Preparedness is a BIOLOGICAL (nature) factor — use it to criticise pure conditioning and support diathesis–stress.
✕Evaluating without the named debate
Why it happens
Generic evaluation habit.
How to avoid it
Tie points to the named debate (e.g. nature–nurture → diathesis–stress) to reach the top band on Paper 3.

Practice questions

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Anxiety Disorders and Fear Related Disorders

Short Study Notes in the form of Slides

Short Study Notes — Anxiety Disorders and Fear Related Disorders

Detailed Notes

What you’ll learn

How it’s examined

1Identify a phobia type (2 marks)

2Outline classical conditioning of a phobia (2 marks)

3Explain the two-process model (4 marks)

4Explain preparedness (4 marks)

5Describe systematic desensitisation (6 marks)

6Evaluate — nature vs nurture (4 marks)

Phobia

Specific phobia

Agoraphobia

Classical conditioning (acquisition)

Two-process model (Mowrer)

Preparedness (Seligman)

Systematic desensitisation (Wolpe)

Flooding

Reciprocal inhibition

Applied tension

✕Confusing systematic desensitisation with flooding

✕Explaining acquisition but not maintenance

✕Saying all phobias trigger fight-or-flight

✕Treating preparedness as just another learning point

✕Evaluating without the named debate

Practice questions

Past paper style quiz

Assess your understanding