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Gepubliceerd in: Cognitive Therapy and Research 3/2013

01-06-2013 | Original Article

Keep Your Eye on the Target: Safety Behavior Reduces Targeted Threat Beliefs Following a Behavioral Experiment

Auteurs: Irena Milosevic, Adam S. Radomsky

Gepubliceerd in: Cognitive Therapy and Research | Uitgave 3/2013

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Abstract

This study examined the effect of safety behavior on belief change during a behavioral experiment. Highly spider fearful participants (N = 126) evaluated a targeted negative belief about spiders during a brief behavioral experiment with a live tarantula. Participants were randomly assigned either to use or not use safety gear during the session. Results demonstrated that after the behavioral experiment, targeted negative beliefs were significantly lower in the safety gear condition than in the control condition. Both conditions benefited from comparable improvements across a broader constellation of negative spider-related beliefs. Safety gear facilitated closer approach to the spider during the session; however, participants who did not use safety gear experienced greater improvement in perceived control. These findings suggest that safety behavior need not impair corrective learning during cognitive-behavioral interventions and that it might indeed enhance it. Results are discussed in terms of cognitive-behavioral treatments for anxiety disorders and of the role of safety behavior therein.
Voetnoten
1
For these repeated measures analyses, the condition of sphericity had not been met, thus the Greenhouse-Geisser correction for nonsphericity was applied.
 
2
Not all approach behavior during the behavioral experiment was codable on our standardized 33-point hierarchy, as participants were allowed to move freely about the room. Because of this, the analysis of change in distance of approach must be interpreted with caution, as it represents only 75 % of the sample.
 
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Metagegevens
Titel
Keep Your Eye on the Target: Safety Behavior Reduces Targeted Threat Beliefs Following a Behavioral Experiment
Auteurs
Irena Milosevic
Adam S. Radomsky
Publicatiedatum
01-06-2013
Uitgeverij
Springer US
Gepubliceerd in
Cognitive Therapy and Research / Uitgave 3/2013
Print ISSN: 0147-5916
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-2819
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-012-9483-2

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