The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of rational desensitization therapy on the reduction of the test anxiety of college students. The feasibility of this approach to test anxiety reduction was examined by comparing the reduction of anxiety of four experimental groups of subjects with the anxiety reduction of subjects in a control group. Students indicating that they had test anxiety were randomly assigned to groups based on the limitations of their schedules. Students assigned to the control group did not participate in the treatment phase of the study. Students comprising the sample were enrolled in Human Growth and Development (Educational Psychology 250) classes during the Spring Quarter of 1971. No exclusions from the study were made on the basis of age, sex, marital status, education, color or creed.The basic design of the study included the selection of test anxious college students. These students attended an orientation and pre treatment testing session. Thirty-two students comprised the original treatment group and twenty-eight were chosen as the control group. Four experimental groups met twice a week for five weeks with an experimentor. The control group of students took the pre and post treatment tests but did not attend group treatment sessions.An analysis of covariance was used to test for significance between the means of the experimental and control groups. In instances where heterogeneity of the regression line was found, a factorial design was used to analyze the level by treatment level interaction of the experimental and control groups on the pre and post tests. Fifteen null hypothesis were tested with the .05 level of confidence necessary for rejection.No significant differences were obtained in the reduction of test anxiety between the means of the composite four rational desensitization groups and the control group as shown by the Suinn Test Anxiety Behavior Scale and the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale. However, the changes were larger for the Suinn and Taylor Scales than for the Digit Symbol sub-test of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale.An analysis of the results on the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, the Suinn Test Anxiety Behavioral Scale and the Digit Symbol sub-test of the WAIS revealed F values of 3.81. 3.55 and 1.53 respectively. An F value of 4.03 was needed for significance at the .05 confidence level.Subjective data, such as comments from experimenters and verbal feedback from subjects who participated in the experimental groups, offer support to warrant continued investigation of rational desensitization therapy as a viable approach to the reduction of test anxiety and to the possibility of its applicability to other types of behavior disorders.

The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to examine the effects of thought-stopping on chronic primary initial insomniacs, and (b) to test the attribution model of insomnia. Fourteen mid western university undergraduate students reporting chronic primary initial insomnia were trained to apply thought-stopping to their negative self-attributions specific to sleep at bedtime. They were also asked to report on (a) their perceived sleep onset latencies, and (b) their experienced difficulty falling asleep over a one week period before and a one-week period after treatment.The above 14 subjects were trained by six graduate students in counseling psychology, who, in their turn, were trained by the experimenter in using the thought-stopping technique with insomniacs. For purposes of statistical design and reasoning, a control, and an awareness group of 12 subjects each were used for comparing the outcome measures on perceived sleep onset latencies, and experienced difficulty falling asleep.A one-way multivariate analysis of variance showed statistical significance at the .01 level between pre and posttreatment data on both dependent variables. Post hoc Sheffe tests were computed, and rendered posttreatment differences between groups at the .05 level. Pearson correlations between the two outcome measures, perceived sleep onset latencies, and reported difficulty falling asleep, were also computed and found to be consistently significant at levels ranging from .05 to .0001 in all 14 daily observations except those of day 7 in the main treatment group, and days 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 in the awareness group.Based on the results of the study, thought-stopping used by chronic primary initial insomniacs, trained to apply it to negative sleep related self-attributions at bedtime, results in reduced reported sleep onset latencies, and results of the present study substantiate the attribution model of insomnia, according to which negative self attributions related to perceived sleeping difficulties provoke cognitive arousal at levels incompatible with sleep onset.

Typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1975. / Bibliography: leaves 383-394. / xx, 394 leaves ill

Doctor of Philosophy / This work was digitised and made available on open access by the University of Sydney, Faculty of Dentistry and Sydney eScholarship . It may only be used for the purposes of research and study. Where possible, the Faculty will try to notify the author of this work. If you have any inquiries or issues regarding this work being made available please contact the Sydney eScholarship Repository Coordinator - ses@library.usyd.edu.au

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, Aug., 2007. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Psy.D.)--Wheaton College, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (l. 33-37).

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 42-46) Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1970. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, 1982. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 171-178).

M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / A literature study was done to establish the current status and position of behavior therapy.The context within which this was evaluated was the history of behavior therapy, as well as the current status and position of other forms of therapy- and of psychotherapy in general...