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)     

Effects of modeling and desensitization in reducing dentist phobia.

Notes that although many persons avoid dentists and dental work, counseling techniques that eliminate dental avoidance behavior and reduce stress have not yet been systematically examined. The present study explored the effects of systematic desensitization and social-modeling treatments with placebo and assessment control groups. Each of the 4 groups contained 9 dental-phobic adults (mean age = 30 yrs). A behavioral measure as well as several attitude and fear arousal scales (e.g., the Fear Survey Schedule) were used as dependent variables. Modeling was more effective than desensitization as shown by the number of Ss who went to a dentist, and modeling and desensitization were more effective in reducing arousal and improving attitudes than placebo and assessment groups. The importance of demonstrating behaviors coupled with covert practice, or self-modeling, is discussed. (24 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)     

Desensitization and self-control in the treatment of test anxiety.

Studied M. R. Goldfried's (see record 1972-09080-001) recommendations for enhancing the self-control features of desensitization by changing both the rationale and the procedure followed in this approach. 98 test-anxious (Test Anxiety Questionnaire) college students were assigned to 4 treatment groups, a placebo group, or an untreated control group. The 4 treatment groups resulted from the combination of 2 treatment rationales (active coping and passive reciprocal inhibition) and 2 treatment procedures (self-control and standard). The treatment groups were found to be equally effective in reducing debilitative test anxiety. However, the self-control variant of desensitization combining both the rationale and procedural modifications recommended by Goldfried required fewer scene exposures and treatment sessions than standard desensitization and yet was more effective at enhancing facilitative test anxiety and test performance. Finally, it appeared that the active rationale was more effective than the passive rationale in bringing about persistent changes in Ss' academic performance subsequent to treatment. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of three dating-specific treatment approaches for heterosexual dating anxiety.

Compared the efficacy of 2 8-session re-educative therapy packages and a single-session human relations training program in alleviating heterosexual dating anxiety. After careful screening, 84 socially anxious male undergraduates were randomly assigned to the following conditions: (a) a behavioral counseling group that involved hierarchically organized role-playing and correctional feedback exercises, (b) counseling plus group desensitization, (c) a "microlab" that emphasized structured real-life interactions with females, (d) a placebo procedure designed to increase personal awareness of nondating factors, and (e) no treatment. Both client-reported and behaviorally rated outcome criteria generally indicated the superiority of both re-educative treatments over nonspecific factors and the passage of time. The inclusion of desensitization did not reliably increase the efficacy of behavioral counseling. The short-term "microlab" produced outcomes as favorable as the longer placebo manipulation. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group insight versus group desensitization in treating speech anxiety.

Compared 3 forms of group treatment for their relative therapeutic effectiveness in reducing speech anxiety: (a) desensitization, (b) insight, and (c) combined desensitization and insight. 53 18-26 yr. old volunteers were assigned to 9 groups including a discussion group (attention placebo) and a waiting list control group. Ss filled out several self-report measures (The Confidence of Speaking, Social Avoidance and Distress, and Fear of Negative Evaluation scales) and a speech anxiety questionnaire. Results indicate that the insight group was as effective as the desensitization group in significantly reducing speech anxiety over control group levels as assessed by behavioral, cognitive, and self-report measures given immediately after posttreatment and at a 3-mo follow-up. The desensitization group treatment appeared to be significantly more effective than insight treatment with Ss for whom speech anxiety was confined to formal speech situations; conversely, insight group treatment appeared to be significantly more effective with Ss who suffer anxiety in many varied social situations. (42 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effectiveness of study counseling and desensitization in alleviating test anxiety: A two-year follow-up.

Asked 46 participants in a program comparing study counseling and desensitization for reducing test anxiety to evaluate the effects of each procedure 2 yrs after termination of treatment. Ss who had been assigned to active psychotherapeutic conditions (including a placebo) maintained positive attitudes toward their respective treatments. A significantly larger proportion of Ss in the treatment groups showed individually significant improvement in grades during the 1st follow-up semester. Ss in both the treatment and control conditions achieved significantly better grades and reduced self-reported anxiety by semester of graduation, obscuring treatment effects reported originally. Results suggest that the deleterious effects of test anxiety may be alleviated by entry into courses which minimize formal test evaluations and by the easing of general grading standards which has occurred over the past several years. (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)     

Effects of social modeling, cognitive structuring, and self-management strategies on affective self-disclosure.

Assessed immediate and delayed effects of social modeling, cognitive structuring, and 2 self-management strategies for increasing affective self-disclosure in 48 undergraduate males. Ss were randomly assigned to (a) social modeling, (b) cognitive structuring, (c) attention placebo, or (d) no-training control groups. Following training, Ss took a performance test and 2 pencil-and-paper measures. With this treatment used as a blocking variable, Ss were then randomly assigned to (a) goal-directed behavior, (b) self-reinforcement, or (c) no-training control groups. A delayed posttest was administered 3 wks later. Results indicate that social modeling and cognitive structuring had immediate effects on affective self-disclosure. Also, a combination of social learning and self-management strategies was more effective over time than any single treatment or no treatment at all. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Desensitization, suggestibility, and pseudotherapy.

44 snake phobic Ss participated in laboratory experiments assessing the degree of fear change associated with systematic desensitization, no treatment, placebo treatment, and the trait of suggestibility. Desensitization Ss showed significantly greater fear reduction than controls, while placebo Ss changed no more than did untreated Ss. Successful desensitization was relatively independent of suggestibility. Desensitization of specific fears generalized positively to other fears, and among desensitization Ss, degree of fear change could be predicted from measurable aspects of therapy process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential ordering of stimulus presentation in systematic desensitization.

50 snake-phobic female Ss were matched on degree of behavioral avoidance and subjective fear and then randomly assigned to 1 of 3 desensitization or 2 control groups: (a) imagined stimuli presented in order of increasing aversiveness, (b) stimuli presented in a decreasingly aversive order, (c) random order presentation, (d) pseudodesensitization, and (e) no-treatment control. Ss in the 3 desensitization groups showed significantly greater improvement than did Ss in either control group. While no differences were found between Ss exposed to an increasingly aversive hierarchy and Ss who received a decreasing order, the random order tended to be less effective than the other 2. An ascending aversive order of stimulus presentations is not an essential and integral part of successful desensitization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mexican-American acculturation, counselor ethnicity, counseling style, and perceived counselor credibility.

Used a 3?×?2?×?2 factorial design to study the effects of S acculturation (low, medium, or high), counselor ethnicity (Anglo-American or Mexican-American), and counseling style (directive or nondirective) on Mexican-American Ss' perceptions of and willingness to see a counselor. Within acculturation levels, Ss were randomly assigned to view stimulus materials (in which the counselor's ethnicity was varied) and to listen to tape recordings of a simulated counseling session (in which the counseling style was varied). No evidence was found of an acculturation effect for any dependent variable. However, Ss gave higher credibility ratings and were more willing to see a counselor who was Mexican American for personal, academic, and vocational concerns. Also, more positive ratings were given to the directive counseling style than the nondirective counseling style. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rapid smoking and self-control in the modification of smoking behavior.

Investigated the efficacy of combining rapid smoking aversion and training in self-control skills for maintaining nonsmoking. 50 habitual smokers (26 males, 24 females; mean age 33 yrs) were assigned to a 3-wk treatment program emphasizing rapid smoking plus self-control, rapid smoking plus filler discussion, normal-paced (placebo) smoking plus self-control, or the placebo smoking procedure plus filler discussion. At the 13-wk follow-up, the performance of the combined rapid smoking plus self-control program was not superior to rapid smoking plus discussion. In fact, Ss in the combined program performed worse (had a higher mean smoking rate and a smaller percentage of abstinence) at both treatment termination and follow-up. Self-control did improve performance in placebo smoking Ss. Differences associated with self-control were not statistically significant. Rapid smoking was found to be significantly more effective than the placebo smoking when data from non-married treatment pairs were considered. Possible explanations for the negative impact of self-control on rapid smoking are outlined. Locus of control scores and extended experimenter–S contact after termination were not related to treatment performance. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experimental prevention of underachievement among intelligent impulsive college students.

64 impulsive freshmen with Scholastic Aptitude Test scores of 1000 or more were assigned to 1 of 4 conditions: (a) paid counseling Ss were paid each time they attended a weekly counseling session; (b) paid math Ss were paid for passing a weekly math quiz; (c) paid control Ss were paid weekly with no contingent effort required; and (d) unpaid control there were no experimental interventions. 64 nonimpulsive freshmen served as controls in each of the 4 conditions. Results were that paying Ss to attend counseling sessions significantly improved their final grades. Paying Ss to study mathematics was only effective among the brighter impulsive students. It is concluded that both treatment conditions forced impulsive Ss to pay attention to their school progress on a continuing basis. (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hypnosis versus systematic desensitization in the treatment of test anxiety.

Assessed the comparative effectiveness of systematic desensitization (SD) and the directed experience hypnotic technique (HT) in reducing self-reported test anxiety and increasing the academic performance of 36 test-anxious undergraduates. Ss were assigned randomly to either the HT or SD conditions or to 1 of 2 control groups. All Ss had previously scored above the 50th percentile on Sarason's Test Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ) and below the 85th percentile on a midterm exam. Results indicate that only the SD treatment significantly reduced TAQ scores. No significant improvement in academic performance was observed for either treatment. An additional analysis of high- vs moderate-anxious subgroups failed to show differential treatment effects on either dependent measure. (18 ref) (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)     

Detrimental effects of a self-reward contracting program on subjects' involvement in self-administered desensitization.

Assessed a self-reward contracting procedure intended to facilitate the completion of self-administered desensitization. 24 self-referred snake phobics received either (a) self-administered desensitization, (b) self-administered desensitization with self-reward contracting, or (c) a self-administered placebo with self-reward contracting. Results show that the self-reward procedure significantly impaired the amount of time and number of sessions that Ss devoted to their self-instructional manuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of aerobic exercise on depression.

43 depressed undergraduate women were randomly assigned to either an aerobic exercise treatment condition in which they participated in strenuous exercise, a placebo treatment condition in which they practiced relaxation exercises, or a no-treatment condition. Aerobic capacity was assessed before and after a 10-wk treatment period. Self-reported depression was assessed before, during, and after the treatment period. Results show that Ss in the aerobic exercise condition had reliably greater increases in aerobic capacity and reliably greater decreases in depression than did Ss in the placebo or no-treatment condition. There was a reduction in depression that was independent of treatment; it is suggested that a no-treatment control condition is a necessity in research on depression. It is concluded that findings provide clear evidence that participation in a program of strenuous aerobic exercise is effective for reducing depression. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Guided mastery and performance desensitization treatments for severe acrophobia.

Compared 2 models of phobia treatment: the desensitization model, which emphasizes extinction of conditioned anxiety responses by exposing people to feared stimuli at low levels of anxiety arousal, and the self-efficacy model, which emphasizes building a strong sense of mastery by helping people accomplish new tasks rapidly and assuredly. 38 height phobics (aged 22–68 yrs) were assigned randomly to 1 of 3 treatment conditions: guided mastery treatment based on self-efficacy theory, performance desensitization treatment, and no treatment. Although desensitization Ss received significantly longer exposure to threats than guided mastery Ss, guided mastery treatment proved to be significantly more effective than desensitization treatment in restoring Ss' behavioral functioning, in raising their perceptions of self-efficacy, and in reducing their anticipated anxiety and thoughts of danger. Results support the hypothesis that perceptions of self-efficacy are influential mediators of treatment effects. Perceived self-efficacy predicted therapeutic outcome more accurately than did anxiety arousal, anticipated anxiety, or perceived danger. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)