Examination of a backchaining/counterconditioning process during the extinction of conditioned fear

Callen, Edward J.; Boyd, Thomas L.

doi:10.1016/0005-7967(90)90077-v

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…It has been advised that desensitization techniques should require, additionally, direct training of fear-antagonistic responses, such as eating or relaxing [Callen & Boyd, 1990;Wolpe, 1958Wolpe, , 1981. Perhaps, though inadvertently, the success in reducing fear-related behaviors for the desensitization group is attributable to training fear-antagonistic responses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…For example, cats exposed to electric shock in a chamber refused to eat in that chamber, but by feeding the cats in rooms approximating that chamber and working up to providing food in the original shock chamber itself, this inhibition was removed, resulting in an overall elimination of the original fearful response [Wolpe, 1958[Wolpe, , 1997. Using competing responses to interfere with a fearful response is an integral part of the systematic desensitization process [Callen & Boyd, 1990;Wolpe, 1958].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Habituation and desensitization as methods for reducing fearful behavior in singly housed rhesus macaques

Clay

Bloomsmith

Marr

et al. 2008

American J Primatol

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Operant conditioning using positive reinforcement techniques has been used extensively in the management of nonhuman primates in both zoological and laboratory settings. This research project was intended to test the usefulness of counter-conditioning techniques in reducing the fear-responses of singly housed male rhesus macaques living in the laboratory environment. A total of 18 male rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) were selected for this project and randomly assigned to one of three groups: a desensitization training group, a husbandry training group, or a control group. Behavioral data were collected before and after a 6 weeks training and/or habituation period during which the first two groups received a total of 125 min of positive reinforcement training (and also were assumed to undergo habituation to the environment) and the control group experienced only simple habituation to the environment. Based on a Wilcoxon Matched-Pairs Sign Test, we found that a significant proportion of animals exposed to desensitization training showed a reduction in the rate at which they engaged in cringing toward humans (exact significance=0.016, one-tailed, N-ties=6), cringing in general (exact significance=0.016, one-tailed, N-ties=6), and in stress-related behaviors (exact significance=0.016, one-tailed, N-ties=6). This was not the case for animals exposed to basic husbandry training or animals in the control group. A significant proportion of desensitization-exposed animals also showed a reduction in the duration of time spent cringing toward humans (exact significance=0.016, one-tailed, N-ties=6), but not in cringing behaviors in general or in stress-related behaviors. There were not a significant proportion of animals in either the husbandry training group or the control group that showed a decrease in duration of these behaviors. Results of this study could enhance both laboratory animal welfare and laboratory animal research, and could be a first step in developing techniques for reducing fearful behavior in rhesus monkeys in the laboratory environment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%