Avoidance conditioning — MRCPsych Paper A MCQ

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EasyPsychologyAvoidance conditioningMRCPsych Paper A

A 39-year-old man experienced a panic attack in a supermarket. He subsequently becomes anxious when approaching supermarkets and avoids entering them. Avoidance produces immediate relief, making him more likely to avoid supermarkets in future. Which learning account best explains this pattern?

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Correct answer: B — Mowrer's two-factor theory

The correct answer is B, Mowrer's two-factor theory. First, classical conditioning causes the supermarket, previously a neutral setting, to become associated with the panic attack and therefore to evoke anxiety. Second, avoidance is maintained by operant conditioning: not entering the supermarket removes anxiety, so the avoidance response is negatively reinforced. Reciprocal determinism concerns interactions among behaviour, personal factors and the environment. Semantic priming is facilitated processing of related concepts, while the mere exposure effect describes increased liking after repeated exposure. Learned helplessness follows perceived lack of control over adverse events and typically produces passivity rather than anxiety-reducing avoidance.

Reference: Labrenz F, Woud ML, Elsenbruch S, Icenhour A. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly—Chances, Challenges, and Clinical Implications of Avoidance Research in Psychosomatic Medicine. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2022;13:841734. Figure 1 and abstract. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35250678/