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Biomedical subjects

F D McGlynn

Publications and source records attributed to F D McGlynn.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

Graded imagination and relaxation as components of experimental desensitization: a psychophysiological evaluation.

Studied the effects of aversive imagery gradation and muscular relaxation as procedural variables within desensitization by using (pre-vs. posttreatment) peripherally cued electrodermal responsivity as the dependent-variable measure of fear. There was no evidence that experimental desensitization or any of its procedural components yielded attenuated electrodermal responsivity to the peripheral fear cue. Because this result derives from a relatively well-done study, it poses a challenge to widespread notions about the vehicle of therapeutic effects from desensitization.

Arousal↗
PubMed1978

Psychophysiological responses to presentation of a caged snake among behaviorally avoidant and non-avoidant college students.

Sixty-six coeds who reported fear of snakes on a paper-and-pencil fear inventory were exposed to a Physiological Response Test, during which their electrodermal and cardiac responses to a neutral stimulus and a caged snake were recorded. Half of these coeds then were exposed to a representative Behavioral Avoidance Test, on the basis of which they were classified as avoidant, as non-avoidant, or as neither. Those remaining were classified similarly with an Incentive Behavioral Avoidation Test, before which each was offered an incentive for displaying non-fearfulness. The electrodermal response data showed that students classifed as avoidant had not been more responsive to snake confrontation than the the students classified as non-avoidant. The cardiac response data showed that avoidant Ss had been relatively more responsive to the snake cue, but that differential responsiveness was not robust. These results held for both behavioral avoidance tests.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Effects of cue-controlled relaxation, a placebo treatment, and no treatment on changes in self-reported test anxiety among college students.

Twenty-eight test-anxious Ss received either "cue-controlled relaxation therapy," an inert placebo treatment, or no treatment. Once before and twice after the experimental treatment period each S responded to three test-anxiety scales and to one measure of public-speaking anxiety. Once after the treatment, Ss rated the credibility of the procedure to which they had been exposed. Pre- and posttreatment scores on the measure of (untreated) speech anxiety and posttreatment ratings of credibility both showed that the cued relaxation and placebo procedures exerted equivalent experimental demand for improvement. Scores on all three test-anxiety measures showed that, under these conditions of equivalent demand,the placebo procedure reduced self-reports of test anxiety at least as much as did cue-controlled relaxation. Implications are discussed.

Anxiety↗
PubMed1977

Skin conductance and heart-rate responsivity to public speaking imagery among students with high and low self-reported fear: a comparative analysis of "response" definitions.

The experiment evaluated the feasibility of using self-report measures of public speaking anxiety to select autonomically responsive Ss for behavior therapy research and the influence of E's definition of "response" on empirical generalizations derived from the study. Heartrate and skin conductance responses of Ss who scored high and of Ss who scored low on self-report fear measures were monitored during neutral and speech-related imagery. High-scoring Ss were more responsive than were low-scoring Ss, but the surplus responsivity was not cued uniquely by speech-related imagery. Examination of four definitions (transformations) of heart-rate response and five definitions of skin conductance response showed that different conclusions were yielded by differing response definitions. Implications of the findings for further research are presented.

Fear↗