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A comparison of self‐delivered consequences and desensitization in the treatment of fear of rats
Author(s) -
Gross Alan M.,
Brigham T. A.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/1097-4679(197904)35:2<384::aid-jclp2270350231>3.0.co;2-7
Subject(s) - desensitization (medicine) , psychology , exposure therapy , systematic desensitization , extinction (optical mineralogy) , treatment and control groups , psychotherapist , phobias , clinical psychology , anxiety , medicine , psychiatry , receptor , paleontology , biology
Exposed 52 rat phobic S s to either group desensitization, self‐delivered consequences imagined exposure, self‐delivered consequences in‐vivo exposure, or no treatment. Self‐delivered consequences S s conducted the treatment on their own and self‐delivered preselected reinforcers contingent upon performance of the treatment exercises. All treatment groups improved significantly more than the no‐treatment control group. The self‐delivered consequences imagined exposure and the group desensitization treatments were equally effective. The self‐delivered consequences in‐vivo exposure treatment was significantly more effective than the self‐delivered consequences imagined exposure and group desensitization treatments. The applicability of self‐management techniques to the treatment of fear responses to specific stimuli and an extinction explanation of the effectiveness of systematic desensitization are discussed.