Effects of two short-term desensitization methods in the treatment of test anxiety.

2 short-term desensitization methods, accelerated massed desensitization and anxiety management training, were compared with standard systematic desensitization in terms of reducing self-reported test anxiety in 44 high test-anxious undergraduates. Posttreatment scores on the Suinn Test Anxiety Behavior Scale indicate that all 3 treatment procedures significantly reduced test anxiety as compared with a waiting-list control group. However, self-reported anxiety following treatment for the anxiety management training group was higher than for the standard desensitization and accelerated massed desensitization groups, and the standard desensitization procedure was significantly more effective than anxiety management training. Anxiety management training, a general or nonspecific program for anxiety control, reduced test anxiety with just 1 hr of direct training in counteracting anxiety. It did not, however, reduce other salient fears as measured by scores on a fear survey schedule. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of contextual cues on the efficacy of desensitization and a credible placebo in alleviating public speaking anxiety.

Investigated the extent to which contextual cues mediated the effectiveness of systematic desensitization and a plausible placebo in alleviating public speaking anxiety. After participating in a public speaking situation that allowed the collection of self-report, physiological, and behavioral manifestations of anxiety, 67 undergraduates were randomly assigned to receive 5 sessions of either desensitization, "T scope" therapy, or no treatment. Each of these conditions was conducted in a context that either stressed the clinical relevance of the procedure or presented the procedure as a laboratory investigation of fear without therapeutic implications. Analysis of changes both between groups and within individuals indicated that desensitization reduced public speaking anxiety in both contexts, whereas the placebo was effective only in the therapeutic setting. The superiority of desensitization was most pronounced on the physiological variables. Results are interpreted as indicating support for a counterconditioning rather than an expectancy interpretation of desensitization. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Treatment of anxiety through systematic desensitization in therapy groups.

The effects of short-term treatment by modified systematic desensitization in time-limited intensive therapy groups were evaluated in a matched groups design. 10 chronically anxious college males, treated by the group method, were evaluated on the basis of personality and anxiety scales against an "own-control" period, and 4 equated groups of 10 Ss each. 1 group served as an untreated control for evaluating extra-treatment effects on college grade-point average, as an objective, public criterion. Ss in the remaining groups received 1 of the following individual treatments: systematic desensitization, insight-oriented psychotherapy, or an attention-placebo treatment. The group method produced several significant improvements, suggesting that combined group desensitization offers an efficient and effective treatment for social-evaluative anxiety. (27 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Whither subliminal psychodynamic activation? A reply to Silverman.

The authors reply to comments by L. H. Silverman (see record 1982-21579-001) on their earlier criticisms (see record 1980-26153-001) of subliminal symbiotic stimulation as a clinical adjunct to systematic desensitization. The authors contend that Silverman credits them with an overly nebulous "challenge" that was not made, and cites new data that purportedly contradict this overgeneralized conclusion. None of this "contradictory" evidence deals with desensitization or any other treatment for phobic anxiety. The alternative explanations he derives from these new data are based on an arbitrary and simplistic method of data aggregation that lacks consistency across investigations. The resulting selective bias severely reduces the explanatory power of these alternative possibilities and does not negate the authors' contention that stimulation of unconscious merging fantasies is superfluous in desensitization. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognition and desensitization in the group treatment of test anxiety.

Assessed the comparative effectiveness of cognitive, arousal reduction, and combined cognitive and arousal reduction treatments for test anxiety. 48 test-anxious volunteers who had scored above 32 on the Debilitating Anxiety scale of the Alpert-Haber Achievement Anxiety Test were assigned randomly to 1 of 2 graduate-student therapists, who provided (a) cognitive therapy, (b) systematic desensitization, (c) a combination of cognitive therapy and systematic desensitization, or (d) a pseudotherapy control procedure. 12 other test-anxious Ss were assigned to a waiting-list control group. Test anxiety was assessed both on self-report measures, in an analog testing situation prior to treatment, at the completion of treatment, and at a 1-mo follow-up. GPA was also used as a measure of academic performance. Results indicate that cognitive therapy was more effective in reducing anxiety in the analog testing situation and improving GPA than other treatment and control procedures. Systematic desensitization, combined systematic desensitization and cognitive therapy, and the pseudotherapy control procedure were not reliably different from one another. Results underline the effectiveness of cognitive therapy in treating test anxiety. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Systematic desensitization: Expectancy change or counterconditioning?

Exposed 44 snake and spider phobic undergraduates to either (1) a form of systematic desensitization treatment; (2) a technique, called T-scope therapy, which embodies most of the expectancy-manipulating features of desensitization, but does not contain the technical elements of the procedure, i.e., relaxation, visualization, and the construction of an anxiety hierarchy, (3) T-scope therapy, presented as an "incomplete" and probably ineffective form of treatment; or (4) no treatment. There was no significant differences (on self-rating, runway, or interview measures) between the effects of the systematic desensitization procedure and T-scope therapy, although Ss receiving either of these treatments improved significantly more than those who received no treatment or T-scope therapy administered under the "low-expectancy" condition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychodynamic changes through systematic desensitization.

Attempted to integrate psychoanalytic theory and the data from behavior therapy, specifically systematic desensitization. It was found that snake phobics could be significantly discriminated from a group of normals on a measure of castration anxiety. Following systematic desensitization of the fear of harmless snakes, (a) 10 treated snake phobics were significantly lower on manifest anxiety than 10 nontreated snake phobics, but not as low as 10 normals; (b) treated snake phobics were significantly lower than nontreated snake phobics on a TAT measure of castration anxiety, but not as low as normals; and (c) treated snake phobics were not significantly lower than nontreated snake phobics on a Rorschach measure of castration anxiety, and both were significantly higher than normals. (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of heart rate biofeedback, false biofeedback, and systematic desensitization in reducing speech anxiety: Short- and long-term effectiveness.

Assessed the comparative effectiveness of heart rate biofeedback (HRB) training, false HRB training, and systematic desensitization (SD) in reducing speech anxiety for 27 students chosen for their high scores on the item "speaking before a group" of the Fear Survey Schedule. Results indicate that all 3 groups demonstrated a decrease in self-reported (Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker) and overt motor components of anxiety during 2 posttreatment assessment periods. Physiological measures (HR and skin conductance), however, indicate that the HRB group was associated with less physiological responding during the posttreatment assessments of anxiety relative to the other 2 groups. Results demonstrate that the 3 behavioral component measures of anxiety are not always highly correlated. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effectiveness of structured psychodrama and systematic desensitization in reducing test anxiety.

36 students with examination anxiety took part in a study of the effectiveness of structured psychodrama and systematic desensitization in reducing test anxiety. Ss were randomly assigned to psychodrama, desensitization, or no-treatment control groups. All Ss were tested before and after the treatments on the Suinn Test Anxiety Behavior Scale and the Neuroticism scale of the Eysenck Personality Inventory. Results show that Ss in both treatment groups significantly reduced their test-anxiety scores compared with the controls. This was also congruent with gains as tested in vivo. A comparison between the 2 treatments, however, shows no significant differences. Also, there were no statistical differences among the 3 groups in neuroticism either before or after the treatments. It is concluded that the structured psychodrama method is as effective a mode of counseling as systematic desensitization in treating test anxiety. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group systematic desensitization versus covert positive reinforcement in the reduction of test anxiety.

Compared modified versions of systematic desensitization and covert positive reinforcement to a no-treatment control condition in the reduction of test anxiety in 27 undergraduates. Both experimental groups received 8 treatment sessions, and the systematic desensitization group received 2 additional sessions devoted to relaxation training. The 2 treatments were comparable and generally superior to the control group in pretest-posttest and pretest-follow-up changes as measured by the Suinn Test Anxiety Behavior Scale and the Alpert-Haber Achievement Anxiety Test. On an anagrams performance test, the covert reinforcement and control groups were superior to the desensitization group. No significant differences occurred in subjectively experienced anxiety during the performance test. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

DSM-III classification of the anxiety disorders: A psychometric study.

89 patients meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) criteria for anxiety disorders were administered a battery of self-report inventories, including the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, an obsessive-compulsive inventory, the Cornell Medical Index—Health Questionnaire, and the Fear Survey Schedule. The validity of the DSM-III subgroups of anxiety states and phobias was substantiated. However, the results indicate that agoraphobia was more similar to the anxiety state than the phobia group, where it is presently classified. The anxiety state group was highly homogenous. On the other hand, the phobia group showed some degree of heterogeneity. Findings are discussed in terms of the validity of DSM-III subcategories of phobias and anxiety states, the reclassification of agoraphobia as an anxiety state, and whether phobias should be included in the anxiety disorders category. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of three methods of reducing test anxiety: Systematic desensitization, implosive therapy, and study counseling.

Administered the Alpert-Haber Achievement Anxiety Test to 39 undergraduates. Finger sweat prints were also included as anxiety measures. Ss were assigned to 4 groups: systematic desensitization, implosive therapy, study counseling, and a no-treatment control group. Groups met for 4 1-hr sessions for 2 wks. Results suggest that systematic desensitization is more effective in reducing debilitating anxiety than either implosive therapy or study counseling and that implosive therapy is more effective than study counseling, which was not significantly different than no treatment. No significant differences between treatments were found on the physiological measure of anxiety, GPAs (compared before and after treatment), or facilitating anxiety. Findings support previous studies comparing desensitization and study counseling. (18 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Applied relaxation as training in self-control.

81 test-anxious (Sarason's Test Anxiety Questionnaire) undergraduates who were high or low in general anxiety (the Trait form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory--T-STAI) were treated with 1 of 4 procedures: applied relaxation, systematic desensitization, relaxation only, or no treatment (control). The effectiveness of each procedure both in reducing test anxiety and in generalizing to other fears was assessed with 3 measures of test anxiety (Suinn Test Anxiety Behavior Scale, Wonderlic Personnel Test, and the State form of the STAI) and 3 measures of general anxiety (T-STAI, Institute for Personality and Ability Testing Anxiety Scale, and Geer's Fear Survey Schedule). Results indicate that applied relaxation was more effective in reducing anxiety than both relaxation only and no treatment on 2 of the measures of general anxiety and 2 of the measures of test anxiety, although significant differences between applied relaxation and systematic desensitization were limited to only 1 measure. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role of psychoanalytic merging fantasies in systematic desensitization: A rigorous methodological examination.

L. H. Silverman et al (see record 1974-32983-001) purported to document that the effectiveness of systematic desensitization resides partially in its activation of unconscious merging fantasies. Their procedures, however, suggest the existence of serious threats to the internal, external, and statistical conclusion validity of this contention. Presented is a methodologically rigorous replication and extension of the investigation. 46 bug-phobic women participated in 4 therapy sessions. A variant of desensitization was employed in which viewing verbal stimuli presented subliminally was substituted for muscle relaxation. Ss in 3 treatments viewed stimuli that, according to psychoanalytic theory, should (a) decrease fear and behavioral avoidance, (b) increase anxiety, or (c) have no effect on fear of insects. Contrary to predictions derived from the theory, Ss in all conditions manifested significant improvement on behavioral approach, self-reported distress, and behaviorally rated anxiety, with no differential treatment outcomes being found. Ss' perceptions of therapist attributes and characteristics of therapy also failed to differ as a function of condition. Analyses ruled out such alternative explanations as therapist specificity or instrumentation deficiencies. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of traditional and self-control desensitization.

Compared the effectiveness of counterconditioning and self-control models of systematic desensitization in reducing targeted and nontargeted anxieties using 25 female and 3 male undergraduates selected from a larger pool because of high scores on the Test Anxiety Scale. Both treatments were equally effective in reducing and maintaining reduction of the targeted anxiety, debilitating test anxiety. Test performance for the 2 groups, however, did not differ significantly from that of the control group. Self-control desensitization produced and maintained significantly greater anxiety reduction than controls on both measures of nontargeted anxieties. Traditional desensitization showed significant reduction and maintenance on one measure of nontargeted anxieties and was not significantly different from self-control desensitization on the other. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive modification of test anxious college students.

Assigned 15 male and 6 female test anxious 17-25 yr. olds (1 high school student and 20 undergraduates) to a group cognitive modification treatment, group desensitization, or a waiting list control group. The cognitive modification group combined an insight-oriented therapy which was designed to make test anxious Ss aware of their anxiety-engendering thoughts with a modified desensitization procedure which employed (a) coping imagery on how to handle anxiety and (b) self-instructional training to attend to the task and not ruminate about oneself. Results indicate that the cognitive modification group was most effective in significantly reducing test anxiety as assessed by (a) test performance obtained in an analog test situation, (b) self-reports given immediately after posttreatment and later at a 1-mo follow-up, and (c) GPA. Following treatment, the test anxious Ss in the cognitive modification group did not differ from a group of 10 low test anxious Ss, and in fact the cognitive modification Ss reported a significant increase in facilitative anxiety. (63 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inducing assertive behavior in chronic schizophrenics: A comparison of socioenvironmental, desensitization, and relaxation therapies.

Assigned 63 20-67 yr. old male schizophrenics to 3 treatment conditions: socioenvironmental treatment, systematic desensitization, or relaxation training. It was predicted that socioenvironmental treatment would be more effective with older male schizophrenics (over 45 yr. of age) and systematic desensitization and relaxation training with younger male schizophrenics in generating assertive behavior. It was further anticipated that systematic desensitization and relaxation training would be generally superior in reducing anxiety. Results confirm the expectancy for older patients with respect to socioenvironmental treatment and assertive behavior. There were no other differential treatment effects, although all conditions did generate a decrease in anxiety. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Extinction versus credibility in the desensitization of speech anxiety.

Compared systematic desensitization with 2 control treatments—a nonextinction control procedure in which visualizations of hierarchy items were paired with an aversive shock, and a placebo treatment equal to desensitization in credibility. 97 undergraduates with public speaking anxiety (Personal Report of Confidence As a Speaker) served as Ss. Significant improvement was obtained for all 3 conditions on all outcome measures. Data indicate that Ss in all 3 conditions improved more than minimal treatment, simulation, and high-demand no-treatment-control Ss. Analyses failed to uncover any significant between-group differences. On 2 self-report measures, Ss' pretreatment ratings of treatment credibility accounted for significant and substantial proportions of the variance (12.6 and 36.5%). Data support the influence of perceived treatment credibility on outcome measures, and they tend to disconfirm conditioning explanations of the efficacy of systematic desensitization. A significant difference in treatment credibility ratings between actual Ss and pretest pilot Ss was also noted, suggesting the advisability of checking credibility manipulations with Ss who believe that they are to receive the treatment described in the rationale. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)