Therapist-controlled exposure in vivo versus self-controlled exposure in vivo: A comparison with obsessive-compulsive patients

Fourteen obsessive-compulsive clients were given treatment consisting of ten sessions of gradual exposure in vivo With half the clients, the exposure in vivo was therapist-controlled; with the other half, the exposure in vivo was self-controlled.

The results of the posttest showed that both versions of the treatment resulted in a significant improvement on the in vivo measurement, anxiety and avoidance scales, Leyton Obsessional Inventory, Self-Rating Depression Scale and anxious mood. Neither the posttest nor the follow-ups one month and 3.5 months later indicated a difference between the effects of the two conditions. Self-controlled exposure in vivo proved to be as effective as therapist-controlled exposure in vivo, in spite of the fact that in the latter condition each treatment session lasted twice as long as in the former condition.     

Exposure and response prevention in the natural environment: A comparison with obsessive-compulsive patients

Thirteen obsessive-compulsive clients were treated with different methods of response prevention. Four experimental conditions were obtained through a 2 × 2 factorial design, in which the two main variables were varied: (1) gradual treatment vs flooding; and (2) modeling vs no-modeling. Clients were treated at their homes, three times weekly. Each session lasted 2 hr. Results at the post-test revealed, that modeling was superior to no-modeling (p < 0.05) on avoidance-other compulsions, therapist-rating only. On anxiety-main compulsions, clients rating the gradual method of treatment had been superior to flooding (p < 0.05). No other significant differences were found.     

The influence of symbolic and motor rehearsal in observational learning

The experiment investigated the effects of the mode and patterning of rehearsal on the acquisition and retention of modeled activities varying in organizational complexity. Subjects observed a filmed model construct two configurations, containing high or low organizational requirements. Immediately after exposure they rehearsed the modeled activities either mentally, motorically, mentally and then motorically, motorically and then mentally, or engaged in a distracting activity that prevented rehearsal of what they had see. Performance tests were conducted immediately after the rehearsal phase and again 1 week later. Subjects who rehearsed the modeled behaviors symbolically, whether singly or in conjunction with motor practice, reproduced both configurations more accurately than those who rehearsed motorically or not at all. Motor rehearsal increased speed on the organizationally simple task, but did not enhance response acquisition over and above observation alone. The overall results are interpreted as supporting the social learning view that modeled behaviors are best acquired when demonstrated activities are first organized symbolically and then refined on the basis of performance feedback.     

Crossed aphasia in an illiterate dextral

An 83 year old illiterate, right-handed woman developed a persistent nonfluent aphasia following a right cerebral infarction (crossed aphasia). Computerized axial tomography localized the lesion to the right posterior frontal lobe.It is suggested that the neural mechanisms involved in learning to read and write may be critical for the complete establishment and maintenance of language dominance in the left hemisphere, and that, in this case, the patient's failure to acquire reading and writing skills altered the normal evolution of language lateralization and resulted in the right hemisphere assuming the dominant role.     

Structural consequences of individual position in nondyadic social networks

The pattern of dyadic relationships among members of a population has often been used to obtain important information on the way that social structure can further or constrain social action. More recently, it has been proposed that nondyadic relationships can play a similar role. In this paper, a formalism is proposed that allows the dyadic structure and the nondyadic structure to be considered simultaneously. If this formalism is applied to the study of the structure arising from attendance at significant social events, it becomes possible to identify potential loci for social action. Still further, it is shown that information on individuals' structural perspectives with respect to such potential loci can be translated into conclusions about the individuals' positions in the dyadic structure. Such considerations can be used to evaluate the relative potential of these loci for social action.     

Cue exposure and response prevention with alcoholics: a controlled trial

Ten severely alcohol-dependent subjects were divided into two groups, one of which received only 6 sessions of in-vivo cue exposure and response prevention and the other of which received 6 sessions of imaginal cue exposure, followed by 6 sessions of in-vivo cue exposure and response prevention. The in-vivo cue exposure produced significant decrements on behavioural and subjective measures for both experimental groups on Desire to Drink and Difficulty to Resist Alcohol. Imaginal cue exposure produced trivial changes on these measures. The implications for both theory and practice are discussed.     

Behavioral variability as a function of noncontingent adult attention,peer availability,and situational demands in three hyperactive boys

Recommendations about placements for children in need of special education are routinely made and carried out without empirical validation for the efficacy of particular approaches nor the appropriateness of an approach for a particular child. A study was designed to examine a methodological model which focuses on empirically deriving recommendations for the most appropriate teaching situation for any given child requiring special education. Prosocial, problem, and task-related behaviors in three hyperactive boys were assessed in eight prearranged situations: (1) group play with one adult supervising; (2) group play with three adults; (3) group teaching with one adult; (4) group teaching with three adults; (5) individual play with low density noncontingent adult attention; (6) individual play with high density noncontingent adult attention; (7) individual teaching with low density noncontingent adult attention; and (8) individual teaching with high density noncontingent adult attention. Behaviors assessed included adult, peer, and target child attention given and received; compliance; aggression; disruption; task involvement; and percent tasks correctly completed of tasks attempted. Data revealed that the most disruptions and least efficient task performance occurred in the group teaching situation with one adult. The most efficient task performance and fewest disruptions in a teaching situation occurred in the individual teaching setting with high density noncontingent adult attention. In addition. overall mean rates of disruptive behavior were higher in group situations than in individual situations. The data strongly validate the need for carefully selecting educational environments for problem children, and that the behavior of such children is, at least, partially influenced by environmental factors.     

A perceptual comparison between paired stimulus and single stimulus methods of presentation of the fluent utterances of stutterers

This investigation compared tape recordings containing the fluent utterances of treated stutterers with those of normal speakers as paired stimuli and single stimuli as presented to 20 sophisticated judges. Fluent utterances were obtained from stutterers successfully treated in one of the following programs: (1) Van Riperian, (2) metronome-conditioning speech retraining, (3) delayed auditory feedback, (4) operant conditioning, (5) precision fluency shaping program, and (6) holistic therapy. In addition, a group of partially treated stutterers were included. The original tape recordings containing matched samples of the fluent utterances of a stutterer and normal speaker were presented as paired stimuli. These paired samples were then separated, randomized, and assembled individually on another tape recording and presented as single stimuli to the same judges. The results of the statistical analysis indicated that the fluent utterances of treated stutterers was perceptibly different from the fluent utterances of nonstutterers, regardless of the method of stimulus presentation.