Chapter 14
These are the same important terms and ideas that are summarized at the end of the chapter. Additional information that I've added to these will be in italicized text. I have also added additional important terms and ideas at the end of the alphabetical list. As you study,pay particular attention to1. the definitions for which the titles appear in BOLD print, 2. the italicized information I've added, and 3. the additional terms I've added at the bottom of the list. These are the most important ideas and the ones most likely to appear on the exams.
Anxiety Hierarchy - In systematic desensitization, a list of situations that precipitate anxiety reactions, ordered from lowest to highest severity. Often, items may be organized according to their spatial or temporal distance from the feared stimulus.
Assertiveness Training - Using behavioral rehearsal and other techniques to train people to express their needs effectively without infringing on the rights of others.
Aversion Therapy - A controversial type of treatment in which an undesired behavior is followed consistently by an unpleasant consequence, thus decreasing the strength of the behavior over time. An unpleasant stimulus is paired with the unwanted behavior [e.g., shock with puffing on a cigarette, drug-induced nausea with alcohol].
Behavior Rehearsal - A general technique for expanding the patient's repertoire of coping behaviors. Successful behavioral rehearsal involves explaining to the patient the necessity of acquiring the new behaviors, selecting the target situations, conducting the rehearsal and providing feedback, and having the patient apply the newly acquired skills in real-life situations.
Behavior Therapy - A framework for treating disorders that is based on the principles of conditioning or learning. The behavioral approach is scientific in nature and deemphasizes the role of inferred (i.e., unobservable) variables on behavior. In general, stresses a scientific approach and experimentation.
Cognitive Therapy - A mode of therapy pioneered by Aaron Beck that focuses on the connection between thinking patterns, emotions, and behavior and uses both cognitive and behavioral techniques to modify the dysfunctional thinking patterns that characterize a disorder. Cognitive therapy is active, structured, and time limited and has been adapted for the treatment of several disorders. If one thinks of cognitions (thoughts) as being "behaviors," then cognitive and behavior therapy are really not very different.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy - A therapy framework that emphasizes the role of thinking in the etiology and maintenance of problems. Cognitive-behavioral techniques attempt to modify the patterns of thinking that are believed to contribute to a patient's problems and may also employ the principles of conditioning and learning to modify problematic behaviors.
Contingency Contracting - A contingency management technique in which the therapist and patient draw up a contract that specifies the behaviors that are desired and undesired as well as the consequences of engaging or failing to engage in these behaviors.
Contingency Management - Any one of a variety of operant conditioning techniques that attempts to control a behavior by manipulating its consequences.
Counterconditioning - The principle of substituting relaxation for an anxiety response.
Covert Sensitization - A form of aversion therapy in which patients are directed to imagine themselves engaging in an undesired behavior and then are instructed to imagine extremely aversive events occurring once they have the undesired behavior clearly in mind [e.g., drinking] while imagining terrible consequences [e.g., the liver is being eaten away by the alcohol].
Dialectical Behavior Therapy - A cognitive-behavioral therapy developed by Marsha Linehan for borderline personality disorder and related conditions that teaches skills in mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
Exposure Plus Response Prevention - A behavioral technique often used for the treatment of OCD. In this technique, the patient is exposed to the situation that spurs his or her obsession (e.g., touching a doorknob) and is prevented from engaging in the compulsive behavior that relieves the obsession (e.g., repeated hand washing). Ultimately, the patient will habituate to his or her obsession, and the compulsive behavior will be extinguished.
Exposure Therapy - A behavioral technique for reducing anxiety in which patients expose themselves (in real life or in fantasy) to stimuli or situations that are feared or avoided. To be effective, the exposure must provoke anxiety, must be of sufficient duration, and must be repeated until all anxiety is eliminated. Exactly what it sounds like. Exposure to the feared stimulus [e.g., germs] with the usual response [obsessive hand washing] not allowed.
Extinction - The elimination of an undesired response (e.g., behavioral, emotional).
Habituation - The elimination of a response that comes about from the repeated and/or prolonged presentation of the provoking stimulus.
Interoceptive Cues - Internal physiological stimuli (e.g., dizziness or nausea). Interoceptive cues are internal sensations such as rapid breathing and rapid heartbeat. Usually, they are present in panic disorder and other anxiety disorders. David Barlow has focused on exposure to these symptoms in his treatment method.
Modeling - Also known as observational learning, the learning of a new skill or set of behaviors by observing another person perform these skills/behaviors. Albert Bandura pioneered this approach.
Overcorrection - A form of aversion therapy in which the client is made to "overcorrect" for the consequences of his or her undesired behavior.
Premack Principle - Also known as "Grandma's rule," the contingency management technique in which a behavior is reinforced by allowing the individual to engage in a more attractive activity once the target behavior is completed. The Premack principle is also called “Grandma’s rule.” A more desirable activity [eating a bag of cheesy poofs] is contingent upon first completing an undesirable task [homework].
Rational Restructuring - An eclectic set of techniques that teach individuals to examine their assumptions about situations or the world in general and alter their ideas to be more realistic or rational.
Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET) - A therapy pioneered by Albert Ellis in which patients are forced to confront and correct their own illogical thinking. In Ellis's system, a person's beliefs about events, rather than the events themselves, determine the problematic emotional or behavioral consequences. Rational-emotive therapy (RET) is a three step "ABC" conceptualization. "A”ctivating conditions or events, trigger “B”eliefs, which lead to the problematic behaviors “C”onsequences].
Reciprocal Inhibition - The principle underlying systematic desensitization that one cannot be both relaxed and anxious at the same time. Therefore, phobic clients are taught to relax in the face of previously feared stimuli.
Relaxation - A state of lowered anxiety, stress, and physiological arousal. Relaxation may be induced by tensing and then relaxing various muscle groups or via breathing exercises, imagery exercises, or hypnosis.
Response Cost - A form of aversion therapy in which positive reinforcers are removed following an undesired behavior.
Shaping - A contingency management technique in which a behavior is developed by first rewarding any behavior that approximates it and then by selectively reinforcing behaviors that more and more resemble the target behavior.
Stress-Inoculation Training - A technique developed by Donald Meichenbaum that attempts to prevent problems by "inoculating" patients to ongoing and future stressors. SIT involves educating patients about how certain appraisal patterns lead to stress, teaching them to identify and cope with potential stressors, rehearsing these coping skills in the therapy setting, and consolidating these skills by applying them across a range of real-life, stressful situations.
Successive Approximation - Another term for shaping.
Symptom Substitution - The notion that if a symptom is removed without attending to the underlying pathology of an illness, another symptom will emerge to take its place. This is a psychoanalytic concept, another symptom has emerged because the underlying problem has not been resolved. Behaviorists would disagree, for them, the symptom IS the problem..
Systematic Desensitization - A behavioral technique for reducing anxiety in which patients practice relaxation while visualizing anxiety-provoking situations of increasing intensity. In this way, the patient becomes "desensitized" to the feared stimulus. Systematic desensitization was developed by Joseph Wolpe. It includes three steps [1] learning relaxation techniques [2] constructing a fear hierarchy and [3] working through the hierarchy while using the relaxation techniques. Wolpe’s rationale for the method is “reciprocal inhibition” (you can't feel anxious and relaxed at the same time).
Time-Out - A contingency management technique in which a person is removed temporarily from the situation that is reinforcing the undesired behavior.
Token Economy - A system in which desired behaviors are promoted through the strict control of reinforcements. Establishing such a system requires specifying the immediate reinforcers for each behavior as well as the backup reinforcers for which patients can exchange their immediate reinforcers. Target behaviors are immediately reinforced with tokens that can be redeemed later. Particularly good with institutionalized populations who are too low functioning for other therapies. Considerable control must be possible for this to work.
Below are some additional ideas and terms from Chapter 14 you should know
Mentalism – a term used [often derogatorily] by behaviorists to refer to the idea
[Freudian, Humanistic, or Existential] that we can infer and talk intelligently about
hidden drives and motives.
Cognition – unlike mentalism, is open to scientific investigation [radical (extreme) behaviorists might disagree though].
Mary Cover Jones – First to demonstrate the therapeutic potential of behavioral methods.
By pairing candy with a rabbit [which a child named Peter, feared] the fear and avoidance were reduced.
Reciprocal inhibition – Joseph Wolpe’s classic behavioral conceptualization: [one cannot be relaxed and anxious at the same time].
In Vivo vs. in Imago Therapy – In vivo is experiencing a situation in reality whereas in imago is experiencing the situation in imagination only.
Symptom Substitution – According to Freudians, if you just remove a problem behavior,
another will surface because the true underlying problem has not been dealt with.
Criticisms of Behavior Therapy – among others include that it, [1] is dehumanizing and
mechanistic [2] may relieve specific symptoms but does not promote emotional
“growth” and [3] may work for simple and specific disorders but offers little help for
severe disorders with a broad array of symptoms.