Modeling effects and children
Soneonce bring up participant
modeling as a form of exposure therapy to treat specific phobias. When I was
reading about this in the text, I felt that this could be a really wonderful
form of treatment with a very severe case of specific phobia. Some people with
a severe phobia might not be able to handle direct contact with their feared
stimuli, so I can see how observing their therapist’s interactions with the
stimuli could be really helpful. I think it would make the environment even
safer and the possibility of success in treatment even higher. That being said,
I think it would be necessary for the client to eventually move into direct
contact with their feared stimuli, but I can see how this approach would be
great at the beginning of treatment.
This form of participant modeling
can indeed have a stronger effect on phobias when using desensitization. This
approach has been used very successfully with children. Do you suppose that
they are more susceptible to modeling effects?
