No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Tulsa, 1991. / Bibliography: leaves 101-111.

No description available.

Fobia específica de altura ou acrofobia é um transtorno de ansiedade caracterizado pelo medo intenso e desproporcional de locais altos, levando à esquiva de situações e capaz de gerar sofrimento. Os diversos tipos de fobias parecem estar ligados a diferentes mecanismos de aquisição de medos. Mais do que experiências de aprendizado ou condicionamento, existem evidências de que anormalidades no controle da postura possam estar envolvidas na gênese do medo de altura. Deficiências na função vestibular podem levar um indivíduo a depender mais de sua visão ou de sua propriocepção para manter o controle postural. Lugares altos são um tipo de situação limite onde a falta de tais referências poderiam, em tese, desencadear reações de defesa e sintomas ansiosos. Além disso, o aumento de demanda por recursos cognitivos para a compensação do equilíbrio poderia deixar indivíduos acrofóbicos mais susceptíveis a interações entre o controle postural e atividades que demandem atenção. Esta dissertação testou a hipótese de que indivíduos com fobia específica de altura apresentam pior controle postural e maior interferência entre o controle do equilíbrio e o desempenho em tarefas que demandem atenção. Foram comparados 31 acrofóbicos (23 mulheres, 36,4±12 anos) e 34 controles não-fóbicos (22 mulheres, 32,4±12 anos). O desempenho da estabilidade postural em plataforma de posturografia dinâmica e o desempenho atencional foram simultaneamente avaliados através de teste em computador envolvendo o rastreio visual de um alvo em movimento imprevisível. Foram avaliadas as seguintes variáveis: ÁREA (área delimitada da excursão do centro de pressão em cm²); CPx e CPy (deslocamento total do centro de pressão na base de suporte em cm, na direção látero-lateral (eixo x) e ântero-posterior (eixo y)); VMx e VMy (velocidade média com a qual ocorre o deslocamento do centro de pressão em cm/s) e RMSx e RMSy (quadrado da média da raiz do deslocamento do centro de pressão, em cm, a partir da coordenada central (0,0) da base de apoio). O teste de atenção foi avaliado pela porcentagem de tempo em que o sujeito conseguia seguir anualmente o movimento do alvo. Indivíduos com acrofobia apresentaram uma pior estabilidade postural e um pior desempenho no teste atencional, além de uma maior interferência entre as tarefas. Estes resultados são compatíveis com a hipótese de que anormalidades do controle postural possam exercer um papel importante na gênese e na perpetuação dos sintomas de medo de altura. / INTRODUCTION: Fear of heights or acrophobia, is one of the most frequent subtypes of specific phobia frequently associated to depression and other anxiety disorders. Previous evidence suggests a correlation between acrophobia and abnormalities in balance control, particularly involving the use of visual information to keep postural stability. This study investigates the hypotheses that (1) abnormalities in balance control are more frequent in individuals with acrophobia even when not exposed to heights; (2) acrophobic symptoms are associated to abnormalities in visual perception of movement; and (3) individuals with acrophobia are more sensitive to balance-cognition interactions. METHOD: Thirty-one individuals with specific phobia of heights (23 women, 36.4±12 years) and thirty one non-phobic controls (22 women, 32.4±12 years) were compared using dynamic posturography and a manual tracking task. RESULTS: Acrophobics had poorer performance in both tasks, especially when carried out simultaneously. Previously described interference between posture control and cognitive activity seems to play a major role in these individuals. DISCUSSION: The presence of physiologic abnormalities is compatible with the hypothesis of a non-associative acquisition of fear of heights, i.e., not associated to previous traumatic events or other learning experiences. Clinically, this preliminary study corroborates the hypothesis that vestibular physical therapy can be particularly useful in treating individuals with fear of heights.

It is difficult to overestimate the social and psychological significance of human-animal interactions. Till now, studies on human-companion animal interactions primarily focussed on positive aspects and relationships, while studies on animal phobias have almost exclusively focussed on spider and snake phobia. The problem with negative human-animal relationships in general, and animal phobia in particular, is in essence a superficial understanding of the determination of physiological changes and parameters associated with its description and treatment. The main aim of this study was to provide theoretical and physiological information regarding the determination of a biochemical parameter which can be used to enhance effective diagnosis and treatment of individuals suffering from dog phobia. A trimodal approach was followed to describe anxiety and fear responses associated with dog phobia. Subjects were assigned to two groups: an experimental group consisting of females suffering from dog phobia, and a control group. The study consisted of three experimental stages: the first stage (resting stage) measured baseline values, the second stage (preintervention stage) measured values in the presence of a dog stimulus prior to the intervention program, and the third stage (postintervention stage) measured values in the presence of a dog stimulus after completion of the intervention program. Cognitive-affective aspects were initially measured by means of the Fear Survey Schedule, as well as by means of an anxiety scale and stressor schedule during the experimental stages. Motor-behavioural aspects were measured as the termination distance of the dog approach during the pre- and postintervention stages, as well as assessed by a psychologist through direct observation of non-verbal communication cues during the behavioural approach tests. The measurement of physiological aspects focussed on the determination of plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels during the experimental stages. The main results were as follow: • the experimental group scored significantly higher average scores on the animal, dog, blood/injection and total fear categories of the Fear Survey Schedule than the control group; • the intervention program was effective in treating motor-behavioural and cognitive¬affective aspects of the phobia response; • the effect of the intervention program on the plasma ACTH-Ievels was inconclusive. No significant differences were found between the experimental group's average plasma ACTH-Ievels during the experimental stages, as well as between the experimental and control groups during the resting and preintervention stages. The average plasma ACTH-Ievels of the control group was significantly lower than that of the experimental group during the postintervention stage; • total stressor schedule values suggest that subjects in the experimental group have a predisposition to be generally more anxious and fearful than subjects in the control group; • two-thirds of the dog phobia subjects reported classical conditioning as the etiological pathway; • various auditory and visual cues were found to be the focal point of perception in women suffering from dog phobia; and • group qualitatively evaluated their current fear level for dogs as substantially lower than at the onset of the project. In conclusion, the determination of plasma ACTH-Ievels as a single parameter is not adequate to support the complex interaction between overt motor-behavioural, cognitive-affective and physiological patterns during the treatment of women experiencing dog phobia. / Dissertation (MSc (Veterinary Ethology))--University of Pretoria, 1999. / Production Animal Studies / unrestricted

The present study was designed to test Frankel and Orne's hypothesis that persons with a clinically significant phobia also show high susceptibility to hypnosis. The hypnotic susceptibility scores of 10 persons who sought treatment with hypnosis for agoraphobia were compared with the susceptibility scores of a control group of 20 persons having comparable motivation to succeed in hypnosis. The susceptibility measure was the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale: Form C (SHSS:C, Weitzenhoffer & Hilgard, 1962). The groups were also compared on: a) the Archaic Involvement Measure (AIM; Nash, 1984); b) the Field Depth Inventory (FDI; Field, 1965); and c) the Tellegen Absorption Scale (TAS; Tellegen & Atkinson, 1974). No significant differences were found between the groups on the dependent measures. Factors which qualify the results are discussed.

The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of anxiety-relief therapy when compared with three other treatment groups (group systematic desensitization; a pseudo-therapy, suggestion, group; and a no-treatment group).

Fear of computers -- Student/subject-centered teaching model.

Change cannot be denied and it is constantly prevalent in our external and internal worlds. How we adapt to change has an important impact on our lives as it can define the quality of our lives. I, the researcher, am interested in people’s change, how change affects people and how I can help them to progress fast and effectively. Therefore the aims of this qualitative study are: 1) to introduce an alternative way to view phobias, and to 2) examine the effectiveness of an Energy Psychology method, HBLUTM, in the detection and resolution of phobias in the context of change, transition and/or progression. This study's findings confirm the wide-ranging effect the HBLUTM simple phobia treatment had on the 10 participants and suggests that the HBLUTM simple phobia protocol was successfully implemented to treat all the participants, thereby relieving them of their phobias of change or transition / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Change cannot be denied and it is constantly prevalent in our external and internal worlds. How we adapt to change has an important impact on our lives as it can define the quality of our lives. I, the researcher, am interested in people’s change, how change affects people and how I can help them to progress fast and effectively. Therefore the aims of this qualitative study are: 1) to introduce an alternative way to view phobias, and to 2) examine the effectiveness of an Energy Psychology method, HBLUTM, in the detection and resolution of phobias in the context of change, transition and/or progression. This study's findings confirm the wide-ranging effect the HBLUTM simple phobia treatment had on the 10 participants and suggests that the HBLUTM simple phobia protocol was successfully implemented to treat all the participants, thereby relieving them of their phobias of change or transition / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)