A comparison of negative practice and systematic desensitization in the treatment of acrophobia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a symptom scheduling technique in reducing excessive fear. Acrophobic subjects were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions (negative practice, desensitization, and relaxation only) or to a waiting list control. Results from four self-report measures and a behavioral measure indicated that negative practice and desensitization were comparably effective. The relaxation only treatment was generally less effective, but did produce some improvement. It was concluded that symptom scheduling can be an effective treatment for acrophobia, and that these results are likely to generalize to clinical populations.