Discuss flooding as a behavioural treatment for phobias
Updated: 6 days ago
Question 10 Mark Scheme
Discuss flooding as a behavioural treatment for phobias. In your answer, compare flooding with systematic desensitisation.
[16 marks]
What is expected in the answer?
The command word “discuss” requires students to explain how flooding works and then evaluate its effectiveness and appropriateness as a treatment for phobias. The instruction to compare flooding with systematic desensitisation means students must make explicit similarities and differences between the treatments, rather than writing two separate descriptions.
The current specification requires both flooding and systematic desensitisation, with relaxation and a hierarchy specified as features of systematic desensitisation. Students are also expected to evaluate treatments in terms of their appropriateness and effectiveness.
Marks for this question: AO1 = 6, AO3 = 10
As this is an original 16-mark discussion question with no scenario requiring application, an appropriate allocation is AO1 = 6 and AO3 = 10.
Level | Marks | Description |
4 | 13–16 | Knowledge of flooding as a behavioural treatment is accurate and generally well detailed. Discussion of its effectiveness and appropriateness is thorough and effective. Comparison with systematic desensitisation is explicit and well developed. The answer is clear, coherent and focused, with effective use of specialist terminology. |
3 | 9–12 | Knowledge of flooding is evident but there may be occasional inaccuracies or omissions. Discussion is mostly effective and there is relevant comparison with systematic desensitisation, although some points may lack development. |
2 | 5–8 | Limited knowledge of flooding is present. The response is mainly descriptive. Discussion is only partly effective and comparison with systematic desensitisation may consist mainly of separate descriptions. |
1 | 1–4 | Knowledge is very limited or muddled. Flooding may be confused with systematic desensitisation. Discussion and comparison are limited, poorly focused or absent. |
0 | 0 | No relevant content. |
Indicative content
AO1: Flooding
Credit relevant knowledge such as:
Flooding is a behavioural treatment for phobias.
The client is exposed immediately to a highly feared stimulus or situation.
Unlike systematic desensitisation, exposure is not gradually increased through an anxiety hierarchy.
Exposure is prolonged.
The client is encouraged to remain in the feared situation rather than using their normal avoidance or escape response.
Anxiety is initially likely to be very high.
With continued safe exposure:
the feared outcome does not occur;
anxiety eventually decreases;
avoidance becomes unnecessary;
the learned fear response may weaken.
Flooding may involve in vivo exposure, using the real feared stimulus, or imaginal exposure where direct exposure is impractical.
These features are consistent with the supplied flooding revision material, which describes flooding as immediate, high-intensity and prolonged exposure with prevention of avoidance.
Prolonged exposure and extinction
Credit relevant explanation such as:
A phobic stimulus may have become a conditioned stimulus through classical conditioning.
During flooding, the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly or continuously experienced without the feared harmful event.
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