Behavioral Analysis Quiz #5 Review

A subtype of PTSD characterized by dissociative episodes and frequent, prolonged flashbacks.

A subtype of PTSD marked by intense anxiety before and during exposure to trauma-related stimuli, excessive crying, and strong physical reactions.

Strategies used when someone is overly engaged in a feared situation during exposure therapy. Aim to reduce distress and promote progress.

A newly formed diagnostic category that includes OCD and related disorders, based on shared etiological factors.

The reclassification of OCD from an anxiety disorder to a new category, OCRDs, due to shared origins and characteristics.

Focuses on increasing tolerance and mastery of fear instead of solely seeking to reduce fear.

Provides positive feedback and encourages reflection on the experience during an exposure task.

The process of gradually confronting fearful situations to decrease anxiety and challenge negative beliefs.

A systematic approach to addressing anticipated anxiety before a planned exposure.

A common misconception that normal people wouldn't engage in exposure tasks.

Overwhelming distress during exposure that hinders learning and reduces the effectiveness of treatment.

A challenge faced in exposure therapy where clients resist engaging in tasks due to perceived risk.

A common concern raised by clients who have tried exposure before without success.

The process of avoiding situations or thoughts that trigger anxiety, preventing the opportunity to challenge and correct unhelpful beliefs.

A key principle of exposure therapy: Avoiding feared situations prevents the correction of negative beliefs about the situation. By facing your fear, you learn that it's not as bad as you thought.

A list of situations or stimuli that trigger anxiety, ranked from least to most distressing, used to guide exposure therapy.

A scale used in exposure therapy to measure the subjective intensity of anxiety on a scale from 0 to 100.

A therapist's role in exposure therapy: Providing support and guidance, planning and selecting exposures, and encouraging clients during and after exposure tasks.

Examples of exposure methods that involve engaging with real-life situations.

A type of exposure therapy where clients imagine the feared situation rather than engaging in it physically.

Involves a therapist actively challenging a clients exaggerated beliefs and fears by acting as the 'devil's advocate'. This is particularly useful when a client is resistant to change and relies heavily on their distorted beliefs.

A hierarchy graded based on the level of anxiety or distress (SUDs) that each item triggers. It's essential to choose items with a wide range of SUDs to create a challenging yet achievable gradient.

The process of repeating a feared exposure multiple times in order to reduce the intensity of the anxiety response. This goal is not necessary for successful exposure therapy.

The belief that the feared event or outcome is more likely to occur than it actually is. Exposure therapy aims to challenge and correct these misbeliefs.

A common feared outcome among panic patients, where individuals worry about potentially embarrassing themselves in public, even if they don't have a panic attack.

Actions or statements made by the therapist that unintentionally reinforce the client's fears and avoidance behaviors. This can hinder the effectiveness of exposure therapy.

The process of helping the client make specific changes to their beliefs and expectations about the feared situation, leading to a reduction in anxiety and avoidance behaviors.

The period during an exposure session where the therapist actively manages the client's anxiety and helps them to remain engaged with the feared situation.

The process of actively monitoring and adjusting the exposure procedure based on the client's individual needs and responses. This includes adapting the duration, repetitions, or behaviors during the exposure task.

A therapy technique for OCD that involves confronting feared stimuli and thoughts while deliberately preventing ritualistic behaviors, aiming to break the association between intrusive thoughts and compulsive actions.

The theory that exposure therapy works by creating new, non-threatening associations that compete with existing fear associations.

The process by which fear structures are modified through exposure to feared stimuli, leading to a reduction in anxiety and fear responses.

A model proposing that obsessions develop due to cognitive processes like misinterpretations of intrusive thoughts and appraisals of perceived threats.

A crucial aspect of exposure therapy for OCD, where individuals are encouraged to engage directly with their feared situations and thoughts without engaging in compulsive behaviors.

In exposure therapy, the gradual introduction of feared stimuli, starting with less fear-provoking situations and progressing to more challenging ones.

The idea that the order of exposure to feared situations doesn't necessarily influence the outcome of therapy, possibly leading to faster extinction of fears.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterized by intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) that a person feels driven to perform in order to reduce anxiety.

Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is a behavioral therapy specifically designed to treat OCD. It involves gradually exposing the individual to their feared situations or triggers and preventing them from engaging in their usual compulsions.

In OCD, the act of performing compulsions, like hand washing, provides temporary relief from anxiety. This reinforcement strengthens the connection between the obsessional stimulus and the compulsive behavior, making it harder to break the cycle.

Mowrer's two-factor theory explains how OCD develops. First, fear is learned through classical conditioning (association of a neutral stimulus with anxiety). Then, the fear is maintained through operant conditioning (compulsions are reinforced by anxiety reduction).

ERP aims to break the connection between obsessional stimuli and compulsive rituals. By exposing individuals to their feared triggers without allowing them to perform compulsions, the conditioned fear response eventually weakens.

A key principle of ERP is to prevent the individual from engaging in their usual compulsions. This allows the anxiety to naturally subside, promoting extinction learning, which is the process of the conditioned fear response gradually fading away.

Exposure therapy involves systematically introducing the individual to their feared situations or triggers, starting with less intense ones and gradually progressing to more intense ones. This gradual approach helps the individual gradually habituate to their fears.

Response prevention is the aspect of ERP that involves preventing the individual from engaging in their compulsions. It can be challenging, as it often involves intense discomfort and anxiety. However, it is crucial for disrupting the negative reinforcement cycle that perpetuates OCD.