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The Contribution of Arousal and Performance in Reducing Spider Avoidance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 June 2009

Roger C. Katz ,
Anna Stout ,
C. Barr Taylor ,
Michael Horne  and
W. Stewart Agras
Roger C. Katz
Affiliation:
University of the Pacific and Stanford Medical Center
Anna Stout
Affiliation:
University of the Pacific and Stanford Medical Center
C. Barr Taylor
Affiliation:
University of the Pacific and Stanford Medical Center
Michael Horne
Affiliation:
University of the Pacific and Stanford Medical Center
W. Stewart Agras
Affiliation:
University of the Pacific and Stanford Medical Center
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Extract

To determine the role played by peripheral autonomic arousal in reducing avoidance behavior, 16 spider phobics were randomly assigned in a double blind fashion to either a propranolol (a drug which blocks beta-adrenergic activity) or to a placebo group. Subjects in the propranolol group performed significantly better than those given placebo although the magnitude of the effect was small. All subjects later received 90 min of participant modeling. They performed significantly better with participant modeling and there were no differences between the groups in their final performance. Implications of the data for theories of fear and avoidance behavior are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , April 1983 , pp. 127 - 138
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 1983

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