Examining the effects of punishment schedule density on the development and maintenance of avoidance and safety behaviours: Implications for exposure therapies
| Autor: | Ioannis Angelakis, Venessa Lewis, Jennifer L. Austin, Maria Panagioti |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Male Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder 050103 clinical psychology Schedule Punishment (psychology) medicine.medical_treatment Exposure therapy Implosive Therapy Experimental and Cognitive Psychology Phase (combat) Young Adult 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Punishment Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) Avoidance Learning Safety behaviors medicine Humans 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Depression 05 social sciences Fear 030227 psychiatry Clinical Practice Prolonged exposure Psychiatry and Mental health Clinical Psychology Female Safety Psychology Clinical psychology |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 61:172-179 |
| ISSN: | 0005-7916 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jbtep.2018.08.003 |
| Popis: | Background and objectives Engaging in safety behaviors in the absence of actual threat is a key feature of many psychological disorders, including OCD and depression. Failure to discriminate between threatening and safe environments may make these behaviors resistant to change. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the conditions under which avoidance and safety behaviors are developed and maintained. Methods In experiment 1, sixty-seven participants who were initially screened for low obsessive-compulsive behavior were invited to play a computerized game to gain points and avoid their potential loss. In Phase 1, they were exposed to a lean punishment schedule (relatively frequent point losses) and a dense schedule (highly frequent point losses). In Phase 2, they were tested on engagement in safety behaviors, where no punishment had been programmed. In experiment 2, twenty-two new participants were exposed to the lean punishment schedule followed immediately by the no point loss condition (Phase 2), one and two weeks after their initial exposure to the punishment conditions to test for the maintenance of safety behavior over time. Results Findings demonstrated that participants developed avoidance immediately, but safety behavior was developed and maintained only for those who were exposed to the lean punishment schedule. Limitations Prolonged exposure to dense punishment schedules may yield different results because the contrast between safe and aversive environments may be less discernible. Conclusions These findings are important because they provide experimental evidence on the conditions that render safety behaviors difficult to amend, and offer important recommendations for clinical practice. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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