The present study was concerned with comparing the relative effectiveness of behavior rehearsal and systematic desensitization in the treatment of social anxiety.

No / We previously reported that music-assisted systematic desensitization can counter-condition substance-related cues and reduce the implicated craving responses, as well as improve cognitive and psychopathological components of substance addiction. This follow-up study investigated the therapeutic contribution of listening to recorded New Age relaxing music in counterconditioning external substance-conditioned cues, as well as in the amelioration of everyday life craving reactivity, craving beliefs and depression. Twenty-one substance addicted individuals participated in a three-week randomized controlled trial consisting of two therapeutic sessions per week. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the two study groups, systematic desensitization combined with listening to New Age relaxing music recorded in individual MP3 devices, and systematic desensitization without music. Measurements of craving in response to external substance-conditioned cues, craving beliefs, everyday craving reactivity and depression took place at baseline, post-treatment and one month after the end of treatment. No significant group differences in the outcome measures were observed between both arms of the study but within group and time results suggest that listening to New Age relaxing music significantly enhances systematic desensitization and accounts for significant reductions of craving responses to external substance-conditioned cues and of craving beliefs associated with compulsive behaviour in the music group. Our study provides the first evidence on the potential therapeutic contribution of music to cue counterconditioning in substance addiction treatment. Further investigation on the capacity of music to increase the effectiveness of systematic desensitization seems warranted.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the role of anxiety management techniques (cue-controlled relaxation, systematic desensitization) as components of an assertiveness training program. Volunteers from Utah State University and the surround ing community were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups and a control group which were used in a pre-post change comparison design. Treatment groups consisted of: (1) cue-controlled relaxation plus assertiveness training, (2) systematic desensitization plus assertiveness training, and (3) assertiveness training extended. The control group was a delayed treatment control. All subjects were administered pre-tests with the following instruments: two self report inventories (the College Self-Expression Scale and the Rathus Assertiveness Scale) and a Behavioral Performance Test. The Behavioral Performance Test consisted of ten separate multiple stimulus role playing situations (five pre-test and five posttest) which were videotaped and rated on four performance variables: (1) verbal content, (2) percent of eye contact, (3) assertive affect, and (4) overall assertiveness. All treatment groups were exposed to four two-hour sessions of basic assertiveness training which consisted of shaping procedures (i.e. behavioral rehearsal, modeling, etc.). Treatment groups I and II were provided six additional hours of training in cue-controlled relaxation and systematic desensitization, respectively, while Group III was provided six additional hours of basic assertiveness instruction. Each of the treatment groups received equal amounts (14 hours) of training exposure over an eight-week period. At the conclusion of training, all subjects were posttested using the same measures used for pre-testing. The results of the study indicated (l) that no one treatment approach can be considered superior or inferior to the other in its effectiveness in increasing assertive behavior, and (2) that all treatment groups showed significantly greater ability to increase assertiveness than was evidenced with the control group.

No / Recent research addressing the use of music to support the needs of people receiving treatment for drug addiction has led to the development and implementation of music-assisted therapeutic interventions. We hypothesized that two different music modalities combined with systematic desensitization can counter-condition drug-related cues and significantly reduce the associated craving responses. We further examined the effect of the two treatments on cognitive and psychopathological components of addiction. Twenty-four individuals experiencing drug addiction were randomly assigned to one of the three study groups, namely systematic desensitization (SD) combined with listening to New Age meditation music improvised live on Tibetan bowls (IMT), systematic desensitization combined with listening to relaxing New Age music recorded in individual MP3 devices (NIMT), or a control group that received no additional therapeutic intervention (CTR). Participants in the two treatment groups received six sessions in addition to their standard treatment during a period of three weeks. Evaluation took place at baseline, post-treatment and one month after the end of treatment. Results showed that IMT and NIMT combined with SD significantly reduced craving in response to external drug-conditioned cues, while IMT appeared to be slightly more effective than NIMT in altering permissive thoughts on drug and alcohol use, depression symptoms and everyday life craving reactivity. Further investigation as to the role of music-assisted systematic desensitization as a therapeutic intervention for drug addiction treatment is warranted. / Grant from Grundtvig Education and Culture Lifelong Learning Program (agreement contract number 2013-1-FR1-GRU11-50690).

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).

Systematic desensitization and implosive therapy have surfaced as two of the primary behavioral therapy techniques to decrease phobic responses during the past decade. Although attempts have been made to compare the efficiency and effectiveness of these two techniques, results have been unclear because of the failure of researchers to duplicate the procedures as described by their respective originators. This experiment is designed to explore the joint effects of the therapies and level of therapeutic aspiration. A second objective, and a byproduct of the data produced in achieving the primary objective, was to analyze the goal discrepancy and attainment discrepancy scores accruing throughout the therapy sessions. Several hypotheses were advanced. Further analysis of the three criterion measures by means of ANOVA resulted in significant main sessions effects for each of the three independent analyses. Results suggest that all subjects, regardless of treatment subgroup, did make significant therapeutic gains in their approach scores, fear thermometer scores, and speed of approach scores from the first to the last session. Possible explanations for results were discussed. Furthermore, approach test absolute goal discrepancy, fear thermometer absolute goal discrepancy, approach test absolute attainment discrepancy, and fear thermometer absolute attainment discrepancy scores were calculated for all goal-setting subjects. Results from independent ANOVA suggest that the typical university student is able to make fairly accurate and consistent predictions concerning his future behavior, based on his past experiences.

Negative reinforcement can be a powerful tool for behavior analysts, yet it is often overlooked as a treatment method. Pryor (1999) outlines a method for approaching a "timid" animal using a combination of negative reinforcement and positive reinforcement. When the animal stands still, the human operates a clicker, and then retreats from the animal. Gradually, the human moves closer to the animal through the clicking and retreating shaping process. Once the human is standing close enough, food may be offered as a positive reinforcer, and the negative reinforcer is canceled out. The purpose of this study was to experimentally demonstrate the click-retreat technique with cows. A multiple-baseline design across subjects was used to test this technique. Results show that the click and retreat technique was effective. Results are discussed in terms of the difference between the click-retreat technique and systematic desensitization.

No description available.

A pretest-posttest experimental study was conducted on 35 music majors at Taylor University, using questionnaires to measure musical performance anxiety and musical performance quality. The study compared the effectiveness of two different treatments: 1) informal practice performance and 2) a coping skills seminar. Though the students attending the seminar averaged less anxiety after treatment, neither treatment was proven statistically to be effective in reducing the level of anxiety or enhancing musical performance quality. / Ed. D.

There is a scarcity of objective criteria upon which to select among the available therapies for those most likely to benefit specific patients. Comparative research has suggested that the outcomes of alternative and competitive therapies are equivalent. There are few facts available concerning which patients benefit most from even the more popular therapies. The purpose of this study was to find a type of patient for which differential improvement could be predicted. Neither therapy decreased checklist scores or increased speaking time significantly more than the other. Repressors and sensitizers responded equally to therapy. When dropout rates were analyzed there were also no significant differences between the therapies or between repressors and sensitizers. When posttherapy scores from both therapies were compared to pretherapy scores, no significant changes were found. The latter finding was important for understanding the absence of support for the hypotheses. Since the subjects did not improve as a result of either desensitization or rational-emotive therapy, there was no opportunity to observe the hypothesized differential changes. Given this hindsight, it was concluded that speech anxiety may not be a desirable disorder with which to study the prediction that repression-sensitization is related to the outcome of rational-emotive therapy and desensitization. It was recommended that future research of this relationship utilize a disorder for which therapeutic effectiveness is more firmly established.