Psychology Q9 – Phobia interventions | VCE Units 3 & 4 Practice – StudyPulse
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Psychology VCE Units 3 & 4 Practice Question 9 – Phobia interventions

Q9 Psychology Phobia interventions Unit 4 - AOS 2

Question 9

1 mark

A psychologist is treating a patient, Sarah, with a specific phobia of dogs. The psychologist uses a combination of interventions. Which of the following intervention combinations BEST exemplifies a biopsychosocial approach to treating Sarah’s phobia?

Your Answer

A

Prescribing benzodiazepines and implementing systematic desensitisation.

B

Teaching Sarah breathing retraining techniques, using CBT to challenge her anxious thoughts about dogs, and educating her family to avoid reinforcing her avoidance behaviours.

C

Using systematic desensitisation and classical conditioning to extinguish the fear response.

D

Administering a placebo and encouraging Sarah to confront her fear of dogs without any preparation.

About This Psychology Question

This is a free VCE Units 3 & 4 Psychology practice question worth 1 mark, testing your understanding of Phobia interventions. It falls under What influences mental wellbeing? in Unit 4: How is mental wellbeing supported and maintained?. Submit your answer above to receive instant AI-powered marking and personalised feedback.

Subject
Psychology – Victorian Certificate of Education Units 3 & 4
Unit 4
How is mental wellbeing supported and maintained?
Area of Study 2
What influences mental wellbeing?
Key Knowledge
Phobia interventions

Unit 4 Overview

In this unit students explore the demand for sleep and the influences of sleep on mental wellbeing. They consider how changes to a person’s sleep-wake cycle can affect psychological functioning. Students explore the concept of mental wellbeing, including social and emotional wellbeing as a multidimensional and holistic framework. They apply a biopsychosocial approach to specific phobia, exploring how biological, psychological and social factors are involved in its development and management. A student-designed scientific investigation involving the generation of primary data related to mental processes and mental wellbeing is undertaken in either Unit 3 or Unit 4 or across both Units 3 and 4, and is assessed in Outcome 3 of this unit.

What influences mental wellbeing?

In this area of study students explore mental wellbeing in terms of social and emotional wellbeing, levels of functioning, and resilience to cope with and manage change. They consider mental wellbeing as a continuum influenced by internal and external factors. Students apply a biopsychosocial approach to specific phobia, investigating biological, psychological and social factors in its development and management. Students also consider the importance of cultural determinants as integral to the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Key Knowledge Detail

evidence-based interventions and their use for specific phobia, with reference to the use of short-acting anti-anxiety benzodiazepine agents (GABA agonists) in the management of phobic anxiety and breathing retraining (biological); the use of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and systematic desensitisation as psychotherapeutic treatments of phobia (psychological); and psychoeducation for families/supporters with reference to challenging unrealistic or anxious thoughts and not encouraging avoidance behaviours (social)

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