Five groups of 15 female subjects reporting fear of snakes participated in two behavioral avoidance tests employing a snake as the target object. Results are discussed both in terms of implications for psychotherapy outcome research design and possible usefulness of situational variables in the development of more effective anxiety-reduction…

In the context of a "reinforced practice" treatment paradigm, the present study experimentally analyzed whether or not feedback superimposed upon contingent praise would have an additive therapeutic effect. (Author)

This laboratory study of self-monitoring effects examined hypotheses that the direction of reactive effects is a function of the perceived value of the target behavior and that neither the behavior's value nor self-monitoring alone is sufficient to produce significant effects but that both are necessary. (Author)

Male subjects (N=96), defensive externals, congruent externals, and internals, participated in a level of aspiration task under either "game" or "test" instructions. As predicted, congruent externals showed significantly more realistic striving behavior in the test condition. (Author)

Meditation and relaxation were compared for ability to reduce stress reactions in a laboratory threat situation. Meditation can produce a psychophysiological configuration in stress situations opposite to that seen in stress-related syndromes. Research is indicated on clinical applications and on the process whereby meditation state effects may…

Relaxation and semantic desensitization were used to alleviate the fear of phobic females. Results showed that semantic desensitization, alone or in combination with relaxation, failed to modify the evaluative meanings evoked by the feared object. (SE)

Counseling response preferences of graduate students completing internship requirements were assessed. It was hypothesized that at the end of the internship the students would show a significant increase in preference for active counseling responses. Five counseling responses were evaluated, and change did occur as hypothesized. (Author)

This review of the research literature focuses on processes that Cautela (1972a) has called covert conditioning and Mahoney, Thoresen, and Danaher (1972) have called covert behavior modification. Both of these terms refer to processes for changing behavior through imaginal responses. Two general strategies have been employed. One has been to…

This study investigates whether six women who previously had received 15 sessions of group systematic desensitization (SD) for their sexual anxiety would report additional treatment gains from participation in a sexual-enchantment workshop with their partners. The women reported a significant decrease in sexual anxiety. (Author)

This study used time-out (TO) as the primary therapeutic intervention with a 13-year-old highly aggressive male in a public school setting. TO was used over a 10-week period with extinction of the specified behaviors occurring after the seventh week. During an 8-week follow-up only three instances of the aggressive behaviors were observed. (Author)

Subjects were pretested on objective and subjective responses to test suggestions of the Barber Suggestibility Scale. After being exposed to one of three treatments--experimenter modeling, hypnotic induction, or control--each subject was retested. Experimenter modeling was as effective as hypnotic induction in enhancing responsiveness to test…

The reactive effect of self-monitoring was examined in three experiments. Some results indicated that self-monitoring was reactive, providing a performance goal or feedback augmented the reactive effects of self-monitoring, and the act of self-recording led to behavior change. (Author)

The subject-controlled graduated exposure of a snake with feedback of exposure times resulted in significantly less avoidance behaviors for snake-phobic subjects than for control snake-phobic subjects who did not receive therapy. (Author)

Three experiments investigating variables related to the assessment and therapeutic functions of self-recording are reported. Monetary reinforcement and subject motivation were variables that enhanced the accuracy of self-monitoring. Varying levels of feedback did not differentially affect accuracy. The implications of the findings are discussed.…