The group desensitization of children's snake phobias using vicarious and contact desensitization procedures

Abstract

The effectiveness of vicarious and contact desensitization procedures for the group treatment of snake-avoidant children was investigated. Forty-four pre-adolescent boys and girls served as Ss. Vicarious desensitization children observed E and five peer models engage in gradually bolder interactions with a tame 4 ft Gopher snake. Contact desensitization subjects not only observed E and peers perform as in the foregoing conditions but also had opportunities for physical contact with model-therapists and the phobic object. Treatment consisted of two 35 min sessions for both conditions. Performance on a behavioral avoidance test was used to measure treatment effects. The following predicted results were obtained: (a) contact desensitization yielded significantly greater reductions in avoidance than did vicarious desensitization; (b) both desensitization groups demonstrated significantly larger avoidance decrements than did non-treated controls. During post-testing, 80 per cent of the children receiving contact desensitization, 53.3 per cent of those in the vicarious desensitization condition and none of the control children successfully completed the stringent terminal task of the avoidance test.