Exposure to an enriched environment (EE) has been shown to induce cortical plasticity. Considerable amount of research is focused on the effects of EE in the hippocampus; however, effects of EE on other brain regions and the mechanisms involved are not well known. To investigate this, we induced cortical plasticity by placing mice in an EE for one…

This study compared counterconditioning, expectancy and cognitive coping variables in reducing fear and anxiety of snake-phobic college students. The outcome measures of the high-expectancy placebo group and the two cognitive-coping groups were significantly superior to those of the counter-conditioning and no-treatment groups, thus supporting the…

To find if children do become desensitized to violence, a test for a measurable physiological difference in emotional response to filmed violence was administered to children who are high exposure and low exposure television viewers. (Author/KM)

The theoretical basis for Wolpe's systematic desensitization, with its principle of reciprocal inhibition and its emphasis on the role of physiological relaxation, is explained. The author examines the literature relevant to the effectiveness of desensitization with, and without, relaxation, as well as the effectiveness of relaxation alone. All 3…

Within an experimental paradigm that simulated systematic desensitization, the effects of manipulated cognitive expectancy on avoidance behavior were evaluated. The results indicated that both overt avoidance behavior and two verbal indexes were differentially affected by expectancy and that no relationship between avoidance behavior and autonomic…

The influence of two of the variables in Leitenberg's graduated exposure technique for treating phobias, graduated exposure and subject control of the exposure time, was investigated using 15 snake-phobic subjects. Subjective fear significantly decreased from pretesting to posttesting. (Author)

The article discusses the value of using mental imagery (MI) in personal efforts to achieve life goals. The process of relaxing, reducing fear, and remembering is described, followed by a discussion of MI and self-worth. Other issues mentioned are the strengthening and weakening of behavior, and resistance. (Author/BW)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the function of positive attentional cues as cognitive factors in the modification of fear responses in a desensitization-like treatment procedure. Positive attentional cues are defined as positively-valenced descriptors of the feared stimulus. Two groups of two subjects each were assessed as to the…

In this study, both the semantic and systematic desensitization methods were found to be significantly more effective than the implosive therapy and the control treatments in the modification of phobic behavior among the college student population. (Author)

Criticism of the study relating effects of therapist warmth to desensitization include: the use of surrogate, student subjects; nonstandard desensitization procedures; and no control group. Morris and Suckerman respond that the first two criticisms rely on selective reading of the literature and the third is irrelevant. (NG)

The self-management of thoughts and mental images was used in a series of empirical case studies to influence behavior changes. The target behaviors in the cases reported were smoking, overeating, fingernail biting, thinking self-depreciative thoughts, and responding assertively. Self-monitoring, covert positive reinforcement, covert…

Describes the use of systematic desensitization with a group to reduce anxiety about public speaking. (EJT)

In this paper 14 anxiety-reduction techniques are discussed. The sex therapist can integrate these techniques into the sex therapy contract with individuals or couples and use them either singly or in a sequential multiple technique format to reduce sexual anxiety. (Author)

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)

Three types of therapy were combined with two types of scenes. Spider-phobic subjects were assigned to one of the six treatment conditions or to an untreated control group. In general, (a) Desensitization and modeling therapies were equally effective; (b) modeling alone was more effective than mere exposure to the phobic object. (Author)