Emotive imagery and children's night-time fears: a multiple baseline design evaluation.
Emotive imagery is a variant of systematic desensitization that has been used in the treatment of children's excessive fears. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of emotive imagery as a fear reduction procedure using a multiple baseline design across subjects. Three children (6, 8 and 11 years old) with night-time fears participated in the study. The children showed marked behavioral improvements on a test for darkness toleration that was administered on alternate days in their homes. However, they reported experiencing very little fear in these tests. Over the intervention period fewer night-time behavioral disturbances were observed for two subjects. Parents expressed some concern about the darkness test but were satisfied with emotive imagery as a fear reduction procedure. As children's phobias are characterized by multiple processes, we recommend a combination of treatment procedures in clinical practice.
King
N
N
Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Cranstoun
F
F
Josephs
A
A
D001521:Behavior Therapy; D002648:Child; D003624:Darkness; D003887:Desensitization, Psychologic / Q000379:methods*; D004644:Emotions; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D008297:Male; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*