Question 1

The hierarchy of fear, used by therapists working with clients who are undergoing systematic desensitization, consists of

Accepted Answer

The hierarchy of fear used in systematic desensitization typically consists of a series of scenes or situations that elicit fear or anxiety in the client, arranged in order from least to most feared. This allows the therapist to gradually expose the client to increasingly feared situations, helping to reduce or eliminate their phobia or anxiety. Choices A, B, and C do not accurately reflect the hierarchy of fear used in systematic desensitization.

Question 2

Which of the following best describes aversion therapy?

Accepted Answer

Aversion therapy involves creating a negative association between a behavior and a noxious or unpleasant stimulus, such as imagining painful or sickening stimuli associated with the behavior. This is intended to decrease the likelihood of the behavior occurring in the future.

Question 3

Which of the following could occur in aversion therapy?

Accepted Answer

Aversion therapy involves pairing a negative stimulus with an unwanted behavior or response in order to decrease the likelihood of that behavior or response occurring again in the future. In option A, an appropriate positive response is paired with electric shock, which would create a negative association and decrease the likelihood of that response occurring again in the future. Option B involves modeling appropriate behavior, which is not aversion therapy. Option C involves pairing a positive stimulus (relaxation) with an unwanted behavior, which is not consistent with aversion therapy. Option D involves positive reinforcement, which is not consistent with aversion therapy.

Question 4

Which of the following is descriptive of participant modelling?

Accepted Answer

Participant modelling involves observing and imitating a model responding appropriately in a feared situation.

Question 5

Sidney is terribly afraid of riding in elevators. His therapist has him ride the elevator in an office building continuously until his fear subsides. The therapist used which therapeutic technique?

Accepted Answer

The therapeutic technique used by the therapist is flooding, which involves exposing the client to the fear-inducing stimulus for an extended period until the fear subsides. In this case, Sidney is being continuously exposed to the elevator until his fear decreases.

Question 6

Which therapy based on classical conditioning is especially successful in treating persons with obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Accepted Answer

Exposure and response prevention is a type of therapy based on classical conditioning that is particularly effective in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder. The therapy involves gradually exposing the individual to anxiety-provoking situations or objects while preventing them from engaging in their compulsive behaviors. Over time, the individual learns that the anxiety decreases without performing their usual rituals, leading to a reduction in symptoms. Aversion therapy is not typically used to treat OCD, and systematic desensitization and flooding are more commonly used to treat phobias rather than OCD.

Question 7

Over the course of her therapy, Sharon is presented with a series of scenes ranked in order from least feared to the one that is most feared. She must learn to remain relaxed in one situation before she can confront the next item on her hierarchy. What therapy is this?

Accepted Answer

The described therapy involves gradual exposure to increasingly anxiety-provoking situations in a structured manner, and is known as systematic desensitization. This allows the individual to learn relaxation techniques and coping mechanisms before confronting more challenging fears in a hierarchical fashion.

Question 8

Relaxation training is a preliminary procedure for a client who is to undergo

Accepted Answer

Relaxation training is an essential component of systematic desensitization, a type of therapy used to treat phobias and anxiety disorders. The client learns relaxation techniques to counteract the fear response and then gradually exposes themselves to the feared stimulus while maintaining relaxation. Choices A, B, and D do not necessarily require relaxation training as a preliminary procedure.

Question 9

Afzal is presented with scenes that arouse inappropriate positive feelings in him. Each scene is followed by a painful electric shock in an effort to change his response to one of negative feelings. The procedure being used with Afzal is

Accepted Answer

The procedure being used with Afzal - presenting scenes that arouse inappropriate positive feelings followed by a painful electric shock to create negative feelings - is an example of aversion therapy. Aversion therapy is a type of behavior therapy that aims to eliminate unwanted or harmful behavior by pairing it with an unpleasant stimulus to create a negative association.

Question 10

Bill was terribly afraid of heights so his therapist took him to the top of the tallest building in town and made him stay on the rooftop until his fear subsided. Bill's therapist used

Accepted Answer

The technique used by Bill's therapist is flooding, which involves exposing the individual to the object of their fear or anxiety at full intensity until the fear subsides. This is different from systematic desensitization, which involves gradually exposing the individual to the fear-inducing stimulus in a step-by-step manner while practicing relaxation techniques.

Question 11

Which of the following describes systematic desensitization?

Accepted Answer

Systematic desensitization is a type of therapy in which an individual is gradually exposed to a feared stimulus while they are in a relaxed state. The goal is to reduce anxiety and fear associated with the stimulus. Option C correctly describes this technique, as it involves pairing the feared stimulus with relaxation to condition a response of reduced fear. Option A describes modeling, B describes aversive conditioning, and D describes positive reinforcement.

Question 12

Exposure and response prevention is a treatment for people with

Accepted Answer

Exposure and response prevention is a specific type of treatment that is used for individuals who have obsessive-compulsive disorder. During this treatment, the individual is gradually exposed to situations or objects that trigger their obsessions while being prevented from engaging in their compulsive behaviors. Through this process, the individual learns to tolerate the anxiety associated with their obsessions and eventually becomes desensitized to the triggers.

Question 13

Exposure and response prevention is designed to

Accepted Answer

Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that is used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). ERP involves gradually exposing patients to the things they fear and avoid, while preventing them from carrying out their compulsive rituals. This helps patients to learn that their fears are not as dangerous as they seem, and that they can cope with them without resorting to compulsions.

Question 14

Otis wants to lose weight, but is tempted to eat the cupcakes sitting in front of him. Every time he reaches for one, his friend hits him with a baseball bat. This procedure is an extreme example of the technique known as

Accepted Answer

The procedure described in the question is an extreme example of aversion therapy, which involves pairing a maladaptive behavior (in this case, eating cupcakes) with an unpleasant stimulus in order to decrease the likelihood of the behavior occurring in the future. In this case, the friend hitting Otis with a baseball bat when he tries to eat a cupcake is meant to be aversive and discourage him from eating them in the future.

Question 15

Participant modelling in behaviour therapy relies mainly on the principles of

Accepted Answer

Participant modelling is a technique in which the therapist demonstrates the desired behavior and then encourages the client to imitate it. This technique is based on the principles of observational learning, where individuals learn by observing and imitating the behaviors of others. Therefore, option A is the best choice as it correctly identifies the principle on which participant modelling is based. Options B, C, and D are not correct as they do not adequately explain the principle of participant modelling.

Question 16

Systematic desensitization has been most successfully used in the treatment of

Accepted Answer

Systematic desensitization is a form of therapy used to treat specific phobias. It involves gradually exposing the patient to the feared stimulus while teaching them relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety. This therapy has been shown to be highly effective in treating phobias.

Question 17

In what form of behaviour therapy does the patient learn to relax in the presence of scenes that had previously caused fear?

Accepted Answer

Systematic desensitization is a form of behaviour therapy in which the patient learns to relax in the presence of scenes that had previously caused fear, phobias or anxieties. This therapy gradually exposes the patient to the feared stimulus (such as spiders or heights) while accompanying relaxation techniques (such as deep breathing, meditation or visualization) to gradually reduce or eliminate the associated anxiety or fear. Operant therapy focuses on reinforcement and punishment to modify behaviour, aversive conditioning involves pairing a negative stimulus with a behaviour to discourage it, and behaviour contracting involves setting clear goals and consequences for behaviour.

Question 18

Which of the following is descriptive of flooding?

Accepted Answer

Flooding involves direct exposure to the feared object or situation without the gradual buildup or relaxation techniques, aiming to extinguish the fear response through prolonged exposure.

Question 19

Which of the following is descriptive of systematic desensitization?

Accepted Answer

Systematic desensitization is a form of behavior therapy that helps individuals overcome phobias and anxiety by gradually exposing them to the feared object or situation while they are in a relaxed state. This exposure is typically done in a step-by-step process, where the individual is first asked to imagine the feared object or situation and then taught relaxation techniques. Once relaxation is achieved, they slowly expose themselves to the feared object or situation in a safe and controlled setting. Choice B best describes the steps involved in systematic desensitization.

Question 20

Phoebe is involved in a therapy in which she must touch dirty objects and then try to delay her ritual of hand washing for longer and longer periods. Phoebe's obsessive-compulsive disorder is most likely being treated with

Accepted Answer

Phoebe's therapy involves exposure to a feared object or situation (touching dirty objects) and then preventing the usual compulsive behavior (hand washing). This is known as exposure and response prevention, a technique commonly used in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Token economies involve reinforcing desired behavior with tokens that can be exchanged for rewards, cognitive therapy focuses on changing negative thought patterns, and time out is typically used as a punishment for unwanted behavior, none of which are relevant to Phoebe's treatment.

Quiz 14: Therapies