Systematic Desensitization Quiz for AP Psychology

📚 Quick Study Guide

• 🧠 Definition: Systematic desensitization is a type of behavioral therapy used to help overcome phobias and other anxiety disorders. It involves gradually exposing individuals to feared stimuli while they practice relaxation techniques.
• 🪜 Hierarchy: A crucial step is creating a fear hierarchy, ranking anxiety-provoking situations from least to most distressing.
• 🧘 Relaxation Techniques: Patients learn relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation, to manage anxiety.
• 📈 Gradual Exposure: Exposure to feared stimuli begins with the least anxiety-provoking situation and progresses gradually up the hierarchy.
• ✅ Effectiveness: Systematic desensitization is effective because it helps to extinguish the learned association between the feared stimulus and the anxiety response.
• 💡 Key Concepts: Classical conditioning, counterconditioning, exposure therapy.

Practice Quiz

1. Which of the following is the first step in systematic desensitization?
   1. A. Exposure to the most feared stimulus
   2. B. Learning relaxation techniques
   3. C. Creating a fear hierarchy
   4. D. Cognitive restructuring
2. What is the purpose of relaxation techniques in systematic desensitization?
   1. A. To increase anxiety
   2. B. To provide a distraction
   3. C. To manage anxiety during exposure
   4. D. To avoid exposure
3. In systematic desensitization, exposure to feared stimuli progresses:
   1. A. Randomly
   2. B. From most to least anxiety-provoking
   3. C. From least to most anxiety-provoking
   4. D. All at once
4. Systematic desensitization is based on the principles of:
   1. A. Operant conditioning
   2. B. Classical conditioning
   3. C. Social learning theory
   4. D. Humanistic psychology
5. Which of the following is an example of a relaxation technique used in systematic desensitization?
   1. A. Running on a treadmill
   2. B. Progressive muscle relaxation
   3. C. Arguing with a friend
   4. D. Watching a scary movie
6. What is the goal of systematic desensitization?
   1. A. To increase fear
   2. B. To avoid anxiety-provoking situations
   3. C. To extinguish the association between the feared stimulus and the anxiety response
   4. D. To reinforce the fear response
7. A patient is afraid of spiders. In their fear hierarchy, which of the following would likely be the LEAST anxiety-provoking situation?
   1. A. Holding a tarantula
   2. B. Seeing a picture of a spider
   3. C. Being in a room with a spider
   4. D. Thinking about spiders