VICARIOUS EXTINCTION OF AVOIDANCE BEHAVIOR

INVESTIGATED THE EXTINCTION OF AVOIDANCE RESPONSES THROUGH OBSERVATION OF MODELED APPROACH BEHAVIOR DIRECTED TOWARD A FEARED STIMULUS WITHOUT ANY ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES ACCRUING TO THE MODEL. CHILDREN WHO DISPLAYED FEARFUL AND AVOIDANT BEHAVIOR TOWARD DOGS WERE ASSIGNED TO A CONDITION IN WHICH THEY (1) PARTICIPATED IN A SERIES OF BRIEF MODELING SESSIONS IN WHICH THEY OBSERVED, WITHIN A HIGHLY POSITIVE CONTEXT, A FEARLESS PEER MODEL EXHIBIT PROGRESSIVELY STRONGER APPROACH RESPONSES TOWARD A DOG; (2) OBSERVED THE SAME GRADUATED MODELING STIMULI, BUT IN A NEUTRAL CONTEXT; (3) MERELY OBSERVED THE DOG IN THE POSITIVE CONTEXT, WITH THE MODEL ABSENT; OR (4) PARTICIPATED IN THE POSITIVE ACTIVITIES WITHOUT ANY EXPOSURE TO EITHER THE DOG OR THE MODELED DISPLAYS. THE 2 GROUPS WHO HAD OBSERVED THE MODEL INTERACT NONANXIOUSLY WITH THE DOG DISPLAYED STABLE AND GENERALIZED REDUCTION IN AVOIDANCE BEHAVIOR AND DIFFERED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THIS RESPECT FROM CHILDREN IN THE DOG-EXPOSURE AND THE POSITIVE-CONTEXT CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, THE POSITIVE CONTEXT, WHICH WAS DESIGNED TO INDUCE ANXIETY-COMPETING RESPONSES, DID NOT ENHANCE THE EXTINCTION EFFECTS PRODUCED THROUGH MODELING.