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Research issues in covert conditioning

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Abstract

The present paper discusses research issues pertaining to the conceptualization, methodology, and clinical utility of covert conditioning techniques. The conceptual issues include the problems of extrapolating laboratory concepts and procedures to covert conditioning techniques and the evidence pertaining to the viability of such extrapolations. The methodological issues address the nature of imagery processes and the importance of assessing ongoing imagery to ensure that client imagery follows the scenes described by the therapist and to discover imagery processes that may enhance treatment. In general, several basic research questions need to be addressed pertaining to the theoretical basis of covert conditioning techniques, a description of what actually occurs in imagery on the part of the client, and whether select techniques should serve as a treatment of choice when other options are available.

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Reference Notes

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, 16802, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

    Alan E. Kazdin

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  1. Alan E. Kazdin
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This article was completed while the author was a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences.

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Kazdin, A.E. Research issues in covert conditioning. Cogn Ther Res 1, 45–58 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01173504

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