Evaluating covert sensitisation Flashcards
A03 - Supporting evidence?
P - Supporting evdence that covert sensitisation is more effective than aversion therapy
E - Mconaghy et al (1983) compared aversion therapy with covert sensitisation to treat gambling addiction . Although both were effective, in removing the urge to gamble, covert was more so.
P - A follow up one year later found 90% of those recieving covert sensitisation had reduced their gambling activity compared to 30% in aversion.
L - Therefore, there is supporting evidence to show that covert sensitation therapy is an effective therapy for addiction, and is shown to be more effective than other therapy treatments.
- effectivness
- Mconaghy (1983)
- compared
- on year
- 90%
- 30£
A03 - ethical issues?
P - However, whilst it forces better than aversion, with ethical views it lacks
E - For example, the therapist must to be highly skilled in being able to ‘draw a picture’ without the use of horrendus stimuli, which would be more effective in getting a patient to be horrified at the imagination of vomit than actualy making them sick.
E - Resulting in a variation of competence between therapies, meaning that patient were not getting standardised care and treatment
L - Thus, much effort would likely have to go into training to ensure that all therapies have the skill and ability to make this a successful therapy.
- ethica;
- making pt sick
A03 - Doesn’t address what?
P - Based on behaviour so only addresses the behaviour - not the root cause or cognition.
E - Thus, if you’re simply ‘re-teaching’ a behaviour, there is potential for relapse.
L - Therefore, this form of therapy can only be said to treat the behaviour and not fully ‘cure’ the addiction and looses it’s validity as a treatment.
