A fundamental property of extinction is that the behavior that is suppressed during extinction can be unmasked through a number of postextinction procedures. Of the commonly studied unmasking procedures (spontaneous recovery, reinstatement, contextual renewal, and rapid reacquisition), rapid reacquisition is the only approach that allows a direct…

Conditional rates of problem behavior for weeks that followed medication decreases and no medication changes were compared for 12 individuals who exhibited severe problem behavior (e.g., self-injury, aggression). The results indicate that conditional rates of problem behavior were higher following medication decreases than following no changes in…

The ability of aversive conditioning and contingency management to control smoking was compared. Although contingency management was more effective in the short run, at a six-month follow-up treatment effects were no longer evident. (SE)

Compared a broad-spectrum treatment against a control limited to one week of aversive conditioning. Results indicated a dramatic treatment effect, with 76 percent of experimental subjects (as compared to 35 percent of controls) remaining abstinent at a six-month follow-up. (Author)

This study examines the modification of smoking behavior resulting from smoking on command of a tape-recorded message. Neither paced groups nor the self-paced control group significantly differed in reductions in smoking at six-month follow-up. Cognitive dissonance is suggested in explanation of initial smoking reductions for self-paced subjects.…

Attempts to relate treatment and methodology for behavior modification by tracing progressive developments through the case study, and beginning comparative and followup stages of treatment, and points out how these developments necessitated changes in the types of measuring instruments employed, including concern for both design and data…

"A dialogue ensues between an advocate of traditional psychoanalytic psychotherapy and a proponent of some newer therapeutic modalities. The two speakers raise issues concerning the nature of the relationship between patient and therapist; the techniques employed; the role of abreaction; the importance of diagnosis; and the place of thought and…

Examines relative effectiveness of four types of relaxation training including Jacobson-Wolpe and electromyograph (EMG) feedback. Dependent measures are EMG recordings and self-report measures of relaxation. All groups reported increased relaxation, but EMG groups were superior in EMG measures of speed of learning and depth of relaxation.…

Criticizes the operant approach to the study of life span development from a theoretical behaviorism view. It is argued that the operant approach is too limited in its scope to enhance significantly the conceptualization and understanding of life span development. (Author/DB)

There is a considerable body of research that involves covert antecedents and consequences of behavior, and how these factors tend to influence overt behavior. As is frequently the case in new areas of endeavor, overenthusiastic claims have been made for covert conditioning procedures, often based on poorly controlled experiments or clinical…

Contrasted characteristics of antisocial adolescents who desist from crime in adulthood with characteristics of those who became adult criminals. Proposed that psychophysiological differences between the two groups could reveal procedures to protect vulnerable individuals against crime. Findings suggest that better conditioning and enhanced…