A comparison of group vs. individual desensitization of test anxiety

Systematic desensitization and assertive training in the treatment of speech anxiety in middle-school students

“…The speech-practice technique would seem particularly appropriate for teachers, as it is easy to implement and is as effective as the more involved desensitization procedure. The significant improvement shown by the members of the D groups is consistent with other findings on the effectiveness of desensitization (Eysenck, 1964;Garlington & Colter, 1968;Lang & Lazovik, 1963;Paul, 1966;Wolpe, 1969)) group desensitization techniques (Ihli & Garlington, 1969;Paul & Shannon, 1966), standardized hierarchies (Emery, 1967, and desensitization with taped instructions (Garlington & Colter, 1968;Kahn & Baker, 1968).…”

“…Although the desensitization procedure was modeled directly after Ihli and Garlington's (1969) procedure (group desensitization with taped relaxation instructions and a standardized hierarchy) with test-anxious college students, special adaptations were made for these young (and presumably less verbal) Ss. At times it was necessary for the experimenter to repeat demonstrations when Ss seemed puzzled about the exact procedures to be followed.…”

“…Between sessions 5 and 6, the individual hierarchies from each of the Ss were compiled into a single standardized hierarchy of 13 items. Sessions 6 through 9 were devoted to desensitization proper along the lines described by Ihli and Garlington (1969). At the beginning of each session, Ss lay on their backs and relaxed.…”

“…As the method of desensitization has come into greater usage, new variations have appeared so that a single therapist might treat clients in larger numbers. For example, taped instructions for parts of the desensitization process have been found to be as effective as experimenterled procedures (Ihli & Garlington, 1969;Kahn & Baker, 1968;Migler & Wolpe, 1967) ; "do-it-yourself" desensitization in which the client completes the entire desensitization process by listening to taped instructions has been found to be as effective as conventional procedures (Kahn & Baker, 1968). Group desensitization (Ihli & Garlington, 1969;Paul & Shannon, 1966) and group desensitization with standardized hierarchies (Emery, 1967) have made the process even more efficient.…”

Traditional group therapy and computer-administered treatment for test anxiety

“…The group approach, typically adopted in university counseling centers, has proven effective as well as economical (e.g., Allen, 1971Allen, , 1972Allen, , 1973Allen & Desaulniers, 1974;Dawley & Wenrich, 1973;Ihli & Garlington, 1969;Paul & Shannon, 1966). Recently, computer software packages have become available for the treatment of particular psychological dysfunctions; one such package, Coping with Tests (Thoresen, Insel, Roth, Ross, & Seyler, 1986), presents cognitive and behavioral materials as a treatment for test anxiety.…”