Phobias as learned conditioned responses

• phobias as classically conditioned fear: fear-inducing US causes fear UR, non-frightening CS is associated with US and then produces fear CR
• e.g., Watson and Little Albert - bad experiment though, shouldn't be so famous
• treat w behavior therapy: systematic desensitization 1) teach relaxation response, incompatible with fear or anxiety response; 2) create hierarchy of phobic stimuli; 3) pair increasingly fearful stimuli w relaxation till fear is gone, even for most frightening stimulus (e.g. actual spider on arm)
• extinction doesn't happen, because 1) phobic person avoids the thing and 2) exposure to it may cause intense fear response, strengthening phobia
• people shown photos of spiders / snakes vs. flowers / mushrooms paired w shock: form fear of the photos - but extinction takes longer for spiders / snakes (evolution? social learning?)