Efficacy of response contingent and program contingent progression in live and taped progressive relaxation training

Abstract

The present investigation assessed the influence of two procedural variations in progressive relaxation training, using physiological and self report indices of arousal as dependent variables. The mode of presentation variable was altered at two levels, i.e., tape recorded and in vivo instruction by an experimenter. The second procedural variation involved the sequence by which instructions progressed from one muscle group to the next, i.e., response contingent and program contingent progression. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the influence of the contingency of progression variable on possible inequalities in the efficacy of taped and live relaxation training. Forty-three college undergraduates exhibiting high anxiety as measured by a self report questionnaire underwent three sessions of progressive relaxation instruction. Four treatment groups included: live presentation, program contingent progression; live presentation, response contingent progression; taped presentation, program contingent progression and taped presentation, response contingent progression. Dependent measures taken both while subjects rested and during stressful imagery presentation included: mean heart rate , heart rate variability, mean change in skin conductance, muscle tension as measured by electromyograph and self report measures of tension and anxiety. Results from session three indicated that the live presentation was superior to the taped version in reducing arousal as measured by change in skin conductance during rest and by heart rate variability during stressful imagery presentation. Similar, nonsignificant trends were observed in measures of heart rate variability during rest and in self report measures of anxiety during stressful imagery. The contingency of progression variable exerted no measured influence during session three. Nonsignificant trends observed during and shortly after session one favored response contingent over program contingent progression as indicated by self report measures of anxiety and tension...