Question 1

Behavior therapists argue that the effectiveness of therapy depends upon specific

Accepted Answer

Behavior therapy is based on learning principles such as operant conditioning and classical conditioning. The therapy focuses on changing maladaptive behaviors through systematic reinforcement of desirable behaviors and punishment of undesirable behaviors. Therefore, learning-based procedures are essential in the effectiveness of therapy.

Question 2

Your therapist teaches you progressive muscle relaxation and then works with you to make a list of circumstances that disturb you, from the minor ones up through the worst you can imagine. She is using the behavioral technique called

Accepted Answer

The therapist is using the behavioral technique called systematic desensitization, where the client is taught to relax while being gradually exposed to the feared stimuli in a hierarchy of increasing anxiety-provoking situations. The list of circumstances that disturb the client is a part of this hierarchy, which the therapist will use to gradually expose the client to their fears while helping them maintain a state of relaxation.

Question 3

Systematic desensitization and modeling are alike in that

Accepted Answer

Both systematic desensitization and modeling can increase self-efficacy expectations by gradually exposing individuals to feared situations or behaviors, thereby building confidence in their ability to cope.

Question 4

The method for reducing phobic responses in which the client gradually learns to handle increasingly disturbing stimuli is known as

Accepted Answer

Systematic desensitization involves exposing the client to progressively more anxiety-provoking stimuli while teaching relaxation techniques to reduce the associated fear and anxiety. This gradual exposure helps the client to slowly tolerate and cope with the phobic stimuli, eventually leading to a reduction of the phobic response. Counter conditioning involves replacing an unpleasant response to a stimulus with a more pleasant response, modeling involves observing and imitating the behavior of others, and Gestalt therapy focuses on increasing self-awareness and personal responsibility.

Question 5

What does modeling rely on to help clients therapeutically?

Accepted Answer

Modeling relies on observational learning, in which the client learns through imitation of the therapist's behavior. Conditioning and fear are not necessarily inherent in the modeling process, and while insight may be helpful in therapy in general, it is not necessarily a central component of modeling therapy.

Question 6

Systematic desensitization procedures assume that fear is a(n) __________ response.

Accepted Answer

Systematic desensitization is based on the assumption that fear is a conditioned or learned response. This means that fear is not a rational or evolutionary response, but something that has been acquired through experience. The goal of systematic desensitization is to decondition the fear response through a step-by-step process of gradually exposing the person to the feared stimulus while they are in a relaxed state. By associating the feared stimulus with relaxation rather than fear, the fear response can be extinguished over time.

Question 7

Jenna is seeking therapy to overcome her fear of flying. Her therapist asks her to make a list of the aspects of flying which scare her (such as going to the airport, boarding the plane, take-off). Jenna then ranks these fears in order of severity. What is this procedure called?

Accepted Answer

This procedure is called creating a hierarchy, which involves ranking feared situations or stimuli in order of their level of anxiety or distress. This helps in developing a plan for gradually exposing the person to the feared stimuli in a systematic and controlled manner to reduce their anxiety or fear.

Question 8

Instead of working on approaching a feared situation like flying, a client observes another individual getting on the plane, taking off, and arriving safely at the destination. This method for overcoming fear responses is called

Accepted Answer

The method described in the scenario is called modeling, which involves observing and imitating the behavior of others in order to overcome fear or anxiety. Desensitization typically involves gradually increasing exposure to a feared stimulus or situation, while flooding involves intense and prolonged exposure to the fear-provoking trigger. Imitation, while related to modeling, typically refers to direct copying of another person's behavior without necessarily attempting to overcome fear or anxiety.

Question 9

The idea behind __________ is to systematically expose patients to aspects of their experience in a gradual fashion so that they can confront their fears, using video game-like technology.

Accepted Answer

Virtual therapy uses video game-like technology to gradually expose patients to aspects of their experience so that they can confront their fears.

Question 10

Behavior therapists help clients to become aware of the __________ in which maladaptive behavior occurs.

Accepted Answer

Behavior therapists focus on identifying the specific circumstances or situations in which maladaptive behavior occurs in order to develop strategies to change the behavior. They do not typically focus on unconscious processes or guilt reactions and while relationships may be a factor in maladaptive behavior, they are not the main focus of behavior therapy.

Question 11

Behavior therapy methods for fear reduction include all of the following EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Aversive conditioning is not typically used in modern behavior therapy for fear reduction. It involves pairing a negative stimulus with a behavior to decrease the likelihood of that behavior being repeated, but it can also have negative side effects and is not considered the most ethical or effective approach. Systematic desensitization, flooding, and modeling are all commonly used techniques in behavior therapy for fear reduction.

Question 12

When a painful or aversive stimulus is paired with unwanted desires, to change a habit by making it less desirable, this is called

Accepted Answer

Aversive conditioning involves pairing a negative or unpleasant stimulus with an unwanted behavior to decrease the likelihood of the behavior occurring in the future. This can be used to change a habit by making it less desirable. Counter conditioning involves pairing a positive or pleasant stimulus with the unwanted behavior, and flooding involves exposing a person to a feared stimulus until the fear response is extinguished. Extinction involves removing reinforcement for a behavior to decrease its occurrence, but it does not involve pairing a negative stimulus with the behavior.

Question 13

A(n) __________ ranks stimuli according to their capacity to elicit a fear or anxiety response. It is part of the behavioral procedure called systematic desensitization.

Accepted Answer

A hierarchy is a systematic ranking of stimuli that are used in systematic desensitization in order to gradually expose the patient to the anxiety-provoking stimulus. It is the order in which the stimuli will be presented, with the least anxiety-provoking stimulus being presented first and the most anxiety-provoking last. The goal is to help the patient overcome their anxiety or fear by gradually facing the stimuli in a controlled and safe manner.

Question 14

What is one of the most successful techniques for overcoming phobias?

Accepted Answer

Systematic desensitization is a highly effective technique for overcoming phobias. It involves gradually exposing the person to the feared object or situation in a controlled and safe environment while teaching them relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety. This process allows the person to build up a tolerance to the fear and eventually overcome the phobia. Aversive conditioning, token economies, and classical conditioning are not typically used to treat phobias.

Question 15

Pairing drug-induced nausea/vomiting or electric shock with unwanted behaviors or impulses is called

Accepted Answer

Pairing drug-induced nausea and vomiting or electric shock with unwanted behaviors or impulses is an example of aversive conditioning. This type of conditioning aims to discourage individuals from engaging in certain behaviors by associating them with unpleasant consequences. The negative experience is used as a deterrent to prevent the behavior from being repeated in the future.

Question 16

Your client suffers from claustrophobia and can't get on the elevator at her place of employment. The therapist helps her construct an approach hierarchy to work towards riding the elevator. The client is trained in relaxation before the approach hierarchy is used. This method is indicative of

Accepted Answer

The use of relaxation before the approach hierarchy suggests that the therapist is using systematic desensitization, which involves gradually exposing the client to feared stimuli while practicing relaxation techniques to decrease anxiety. Flooding and aversive conditioning are more intense techniques that may not be appropriate for someone with severe claustrophobia. Modeling involves observing others displaying desired behaviors, which is not relevant in this scenario.

Question 17

__________ must have reasoned that fears can be unlearned by the process of counterconditioning.

Accepted Answer

Joseph Wolpe developed the theory of systematic desensitization, a form of counterconditioning. He believed that phobias and fears can be unlearned through a process of gradual exposure to the feared stimuli while in a completely relaxed state. This method aims to replace the fear response with a relaxation response.

Question 18

Systematic desensitization is to __________ as modeling is to __________.

Accepted Answer

Systematic desensitization involves imagining scenarios to reduce fear, while modeling involves observing others to learn behaviors.

Question 19

Lois, who has a fear of elevators, watches as Carole gets on an elevator, goes up a floor, then comes back down and exits the elevator. Lois then imitates the actions performed by Carole. What is this type of therapy called?

Accepted Answer

The therapy being described is modeling. Lois watches someone else (Carole) engage in the feared behavior (riding the elevator) and then imitates that behavior, which serves as a form of therapy for her fear. Flooding involves prolonged exposure to the feared stimulus, while extinction involves reducing the frequency of a behavior by removing reinforcement. Catharsis involves releasing pent-up emotions. None of these therapies adequately describe the scenario presented.

Question 20

Flooding, systematic desensitization, and modeling are behavioral methods for reducing

Accepted Answer

Flooding, systematic desensitization, and modeling are all methods specifically used to reduce fear and anxiety.

Quiz 13: Methods of Therapy