Transcript Aversion Therapy - a2 Psychology Lesson updates 13-14

Aversion Therapy
A treatment based on the principles
of classical conditioning
Aversion Therapy
• Uses classical conditioning to get rid of addictions or
unwanted behaviours.
• Patient’s unwanted addiction is paired with a drug
that makes them sick or electric shocks.
Aversion Therapy
• Aversion therapy can be used with alcoholics.
• Alcohol is paired with an emetic drug (a drug
which causes nausea and vomiting).
• Over time the alcoholic associates alcohol
with being sick and does not want to drink
alcohol anymore.
• Other drinks such as soft drinks are given
without the drug so that the person is not
conditioned to feel sick to all drinks.
Aversion Therapy
(UCS) Emetic Drug
Vomiting (UCR)
(NS) Alcohol
+ (UCS) Emetic Drug
Vomiting (UCR)
(CS) Alcohol
Vomiting (CR)
Aversion Therapy
• Aversion therapy can be used with
paedophiles.
• Paedophiles can give themselves a selfadministered electric shock every time they
look at a child or a picture of a child.
Evaluation of Aversion Therapy
+Can help alcoholics when used alongside another
treatment or people who overeat (electric
shocks/mental association with something
horrid)
-Effects may not be permanent
– Association between alcohol and vomiting may fade
over time if the person drinks alcohol without taking
the emetic drug.
• Ethical issues
– Distressing, patient lacks control
Evaluation – how to get 4 marks
• It can be criticised on ethical grounds as the
patients are deliberately being made ill/sick/hurt/
• However the patients give full informed consent so
know what will happen to them
• It doesn’t last long term as the patient may learn
that having alcohol doesn’t make you sick
• It has been shown to be more effective for
addictions than other treatments
• It doesn’t change the reasons for the behaviour so
the underlying problem may still be there
Evaluation of Aversion Therapy
• The Little Albert study showed that classical
conditioning principles can be used to give a
fear response.
– Little Albert was classically conditioned to fear a
rat that he was previously unafraid of.