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. 2010 Nov;48(11):1139-43.
doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2010.07.009. Epub 2010 Jul 23.

Does habituation matter? Emotional processing theory and exposure therapy for acrophobia

Aaron Baker  1 , Jayson Mystkowski, Najwa Culver, Rena Yi, Arezou Mortazavi, Michelle G Craske
Affiliations

Does habituation matter? Emotional processing theory and exposure therapy for acrophobia

Aaron Baker et al. Behav Res Ther. 2010 Nov.

Abstract

Clinically, there is wide subscription to emotional processing theory (EPT; Foa & Kozak, 1986) as a model of therapeutic effectiveness of exposure therapy: EPT purports that exposure is maximal when (1) fear is activated (IFA), (2) fear subsides within sessions (WSH), and (3) fear subsides between sessions (BSH). This study examined these assumptions, using in vivo exposure therapy for 44 students scoring high on acrophobia measures. Results indicated that no EPT variables were consistently predictive of treatment outcome. No support was found for IFA or WSH; measures of BSH were predictive of short-term change, but these effects were attenuated at follow-up. Furthermore, EPT variables were not predictive of each other as previously hypothesized, indicating the variables are not functionally related.

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