Fear & Anxiety Reduction Procedure

Question 1

Fear

Answer 1

Caused by stimulus/situation that produces unpleasant physiological response (anxiety)

Question 2

Respondant Extinction

Answer 2

Presents a CS repeatedly without the US
- CS starts to have less effect on the individual

Question 3

Kinds of CS (3)

Answer 3

1. In Vivo
2. Imaginal
3. Symbolic

Question 4

In Vivo

Answer 4

Real-life events, objects, or people
- ex: (sitting on airplane)

Question 5

Imaginal

Answer 5

Mental representations of events, objects, or people
- ex: (IMAGINING sitting on an airplane)

Question 6

Symbolic

Answer 6

Overt representation of events, object, or people
- ex: (looking at a PICTURE of a person sitting on an airplane)

Question 7

Counterconditioning

Answer 7

Trains the person to substitute a competing or incompatible behavior for the CR when CS is present
- includes extinction
- Using STEPS in degrees of toleration (6 feet away from snake, 3 feet away, touch snake, hold snake)

Question 8

Relaxation

Answer 8

A state of calmness with low psychological and physiological tension

Question 9

Rapid Relaxation Induction Method

Answer 9

Technique that allows an individual to calm themselves quickly with images & deep breathing

Question 10

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

Answer 10

Alternating tensing & relaxting different muscle groups while resting

Question 11

Diaphragmatic Breathing (Deep Breathing)

Answer 11

Using muscles of the diaphragm to breathe deeply & slowly in a rhythmic pattern
- Abdomen expansion
- Focuses on the sensations of breathing

Question 12

Attention-Focusing Exercises (3)

Answer 12

1. Guided Imagery
2. Autogenic Training
3. Meditation

Question 13

Guided Imagery

Answer 13

Person imagines pleasant/peaceful scenes/images
- Therapists guides person through script
- Attention focused of the scene instead of anxiety-provoked thoughts/feelings

Question 14

Autogenic Training

Answer 14

Autogenic= Self-Produced
Person imagines being in a pleasant/peaceful scene, feeling specific bodily sensations (warm or heavy feeling)
- Eliminating tension
- Specific things to focus on
- 3 times

Question 15

Meditation

Answer 15

Focusing one’s attention on an object, event, or idea to help person become detached/dissociated from their physical state, thoughts, feelings
- Mindfulness & awareness of current experiance

Question 16

Behavioral Relaxation Training

Answer 16

Relaxation of different muscle groups & adopting certain body postures
- Does NOT include muscle tensing
- Incorporates other techniques

Question 17

Systematic Desensitization

Answer 17

Used to REVERSE a person’s learned fear response
1. Person learns relaxation techniques
2. Person develops Stimulus Hierrarchy of CS
3. Therapist describes CS while person maintains state of relaxation
- HIGHLY effective in helping overcome fears

Question 18

Subjective Units of Discomfort Scale (SUDS)

Answer 18

Rate the amount of fear produced by a given CS
- Scale of 0-100

Question 19

Reciprocal Inhibition

Answer 19

Relaxation response DECREASES the fear response
- If person remains calm, therapist moves on to the next most fear-inducing CS in the hierarchy

Question 20

In Vivo Desensitization
(Gradual In Vivo Exposure/Graduated Exposure)

Answer 20

Person is GRADUALLY exposed to the actual stimulus that produces fear/anxiety
- Effective for anxiety disorders/obsessions
- In Vivo procedures are MOST effective

Question 21

Flooding

Answer 21

“Shortcut”
Client is exposed to feared object/situation for prolonged period of time
- Prevents escape/avoidance
- Anxiety is not reinforced; response is extinguished

Question 22

Implosive Therapy

Answer 22

Imagined stimuli/situations to carry out flooding

Question 23

Modeling

Answer 23

Phobic person watches SOMEONE ELSE preform a feared behavior

Question 24

Participant Modeling

Answer 24

• 1st observes someone else cope in feared situations
• Person is ENCOURAGED to join
• Guided to INCREASE CONTACT with feared object/event

Question 25

Videotaped Modeling

Answer 25

Watches a VIDEO of someone else dealing with feared situations
- Less effective than Participant Modeling

Question 26

Computer-Aided Vicarious Exposure

Answer 26

Person uses computer to guide scenarios/CS that on-screen persona experiences
- Less effective than In Vivo Desensitization

Question 27

Virtual Reality Exposure

Answer 27

Using VR (Immersive Experience) as a controlled, stimulated experience of exposure therapy
- Often used on people with PTSD