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VCE Stuff => VCE Science => VCE Mathematics/Science/Technology => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE Psychology => Topic started by: hardworker on October 31, 2012, 09:05:23 pm

Title: systematic desensitisation and gratuated exposure
Post by: hardworker on October 31, 2012, 09:05:23 pm
is there a difference between systematic desensitisation and gratuated exposure? Saw a question on a practice exam of it.
Title: Re: systematic desensitisation and gratuated exposure
Post by: HossRyams on October 31, 2012, 09:07:22 pm
We had a lecturer who is an examiner talk about this and what he said was this:
There IS a difference between the two in real life, but for VCE Psychology you are not required to know the difference and you should treat them as exactly the same.

Did you see a question that asked to identify the differences? Were there solutions for it?
Title: Re: systematic desensitisation and gratuated exposure
Post by: Tomw2 on November 01, 2012, 09:42:43 am
is there a difference between systematic desensitisation and gratuated exposure? Saw a question on a practice exam of it.

In the research literature, the terms "systematic desensitisation" and "graduated exposure" are often confused, often because systematic desensitisation approaches involve a degree of graduated exposure to a fear/anxiety-inducing stimulus. As youshine mentioned however, there is a difference.

Both SD and GE are types of Exposure-Based Interventions in CBT for fear/anxiety, phobias and related disorders such as PTSD.

Graduated exposure aims to gradually expose patients to stimulus reminders (or the stimulus itself) that are more salient or intense as treatment progresses. Starting with relatively non-confronting exposures, up to more intense exposures.

Often at the beginning of therapy, the clinician will use psychological interviewing techniques establish a hierarchy of stimulus reminders that the patient has rated from "least to most fearful". The graduated exposure therapy will then progress along this hierarchy at a pace that depends on the patients degree of responsiveness. It is important that the exposure is to realistically non-dangerous cues as it progresses or else the fear may be reinforced, rather than diminished. Also, it is important at each stage that the patient clearly recognises that their fearful expectations have not come true - in other words, by gradually exposing them to symbolic and imaginary representations and then eventually real instances of the feared stimulus, their 'worst nightmares' haven't come true.

For example in a patient that has arachnophobia, the psychologist establishes the following hierarchy of what the patient fears least to most: looking at the word 'spider', thinking about a spider moving, looking at a photo of a spider, looking at a video of a spider, talking about an incident where they were exposed to a spider, being in a room with a spider behind glass etc etc. Then the psychologist may start the session by getting the patient to write the word spider and then discuss maybe one thing they fear about spiders while looking at the word. They patient may start to recognise that exposure to spider-related stimuli doesn't result in harm and thus their fearful anticipation is somewhat alleviated. This approach allows the psychologist to change the pace according to progress - if something is too stressful, it can be toned down to avoid reinforcing the fear - which is why this graduated approach is often used in children and adolescents who can be more easily overwhelmed than many adults.

Systematic desensitisation, which is based on Wolpe's principle of "reciprocal inhibition", is similar to GE in that it too gradually exposed patients along a fear hierarchy, but it is different in that it adds procedures/techniques to produce physiological and psychological reactions that are incompatible with fear and anxiety. It's essentially a de-conditioning process.

In the arachnophobia example, the psychologist and patient may have graduated up to looking at a photo of a spider. To counter the patients fear response (ie fight or flight response - e.g. muscle tension, heavy breathing, jitters), the psychologist may subtly play relaxing or 'happy' music in the background and get the patient to perform muscle relaxation and breathing exercises. Maybe humour could be brought in (e.g. make a joke about a celebrity who looks like a spider). Some researchers have argued that relaxing physiological reactions "compete" with fearful reactions in this scenario.

Some in summary:
Graduated exposure: gradually expose patients to a hierarchy of reminders/fearful stimuli  are more salient or intense as treatment progresses.

Systematic desensitation: gradually expose patients to a hierarchy, while adding procedures/techniques that produce physiological (or psychological) reactions that are 'incompatible' with fear and anxiety.

Note: I am unfamilar with the exact requirements of VCE psychology, so you may or may not be required to make this distinction.
Title: Re: systematic desensitisation and gratuated exposure
Post by: julie9300 on November 01, 2012, 10:44:48 am
I went to a lecture (Roger Edwards was the lecturer) and he said that although there is a difference, they shouldn't examine you on it and he said he'll actually take the question off if there was such a question on the exam. But in case you're curious, both graduated exposure and systematic desensitisation involve the hierarchical structure concept except graduated exposure doesn't involve the relaxation techniques (something i learnt from another psych lecture).
Title: Re: systematic desensitisation and gratuated exposure
Post by: hardworker on November 01, 2012, 09:06:53 pm
thanks everyone for answering.  :)

BTW- it was a question on the engage psych exam asking for the similarities and differnces.
Title: Re: systematic desensitisation and gratuated exposure
Post by: Felicity Wishes on November 01, 2012, 09:10:59 pm
I went to a lecture (Roger Edwards was the lecturer) and he said that although there is a difference, they shouldn't examine you on it and he said he'll actually take the question off if there was such a question on the exam. But in case you're curious, both graduated exposure and systematic desensitisation involve the hierarchical structure concept except graduated exposure doesn't involve the relaxation techniques (something i learnt from another psych lecture).
Yup! (Thank god for that!)
Title: Re: systematic desensitisation and gratuated exposure
Post by: pyro-53 on November 02, 2012, 06:10:07 pm
So what would happen if I accidentally mention "relaxation techniques" in graduated exposure?
Title: Re: systematic desensitisation and gratuated exposure
Post by: Tomw2 on November 02, 2012, 10:45:03 pm
Theoretically, relaxation techniques are not part of the concept of graduated exposure.
Title: Re: systematic desensitisation and gratuated exposure
Post by: Felicity Wishes on November 02, 2012, 11:32:29 pm
So what would happen if I accidentally mention "relaxation techniques" in graduated exposure?
Don't know. Try not to do it since VCAA aren't usually kind.
Title: Re: systematic desensitisation and gratuated exposure
Post by: pyro-53 on November 02, 2012, 11:36:02 pm
What would they ask us to compare the effectiveness b/w s.d and g.e?
Title: Re: systematic desensitisation and gratuated exposure
Post by: Felicity Wishes on November 02, 2012, 11:37:25 pm
What would they ask us to compare the effectiveness b/w s.d and g.e?
I don't think they would ask about effectiveness but they may ask about differences.
Title: Re: systematic desensitisation and gratuated exposure
Post by: mals22 on November 03, 2012, 10:11:39 am
Sorry to barge in..
When comparing flooding and systematic desensitisation, which would you say is more effective?
In terms of extinguishing, speed etc.
What are some good things about flooding..

Wasnt too sure how to word that, hopefully that made sense!
Thanks!
Title: Re: systematic desensitisation and gratuated exposure
Post by: RTandon on November 05, 2012, 11:23:35 am
Sorry to barge in..
When comparing flooding and systematic desensitisation, which would you say is more effective?
In terms of extinguishing, speed etc.
What are some good things about flooding..

Wasnt too sure how to word that, hopefully that made sense!
Thanks!

I hope it isn't too late to answer this
But systematic desensitisation is better because it's long term. Flooding may extinguish it for the time being, but it is not permanent. Also flooding is very harsh compared to systematic desensitisation, because it doesn't have an relaxation responses and you are exposing a person to something that scares them a LOT.

Hope that actually makes sense! Good luck (: