Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance
Published on: July 19, 2017
Relaxation versus cognitive therapies for dental fear--a psychophysiological approach
Jesper Lundgren1, Sven G Carlsson, Ulf Berggren
1Department of Psychology, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden. jesper.lundgren@psy.gu.se
Abstract:
By separating 127 adult dental-phobic patients according to fear etiology and psychophysiologic response style, the authors investigated the outcome of 2 dental fear treatments. Before and after either relaxation or cognitively oriented treatment, subjects were exposed to neutral and fear-relevant video sequences while the subjects' forehead muscle tension, heart rate, and skin conductance were recorded. Pre- to postintervention differences in self-reported dental fear, general fear, and trait anxiety were analyzed together with psychophysiological data. Both treatments resulted in a significant reduction of dental fear. Despite significant interaction effects of Treatment Modality x Psychophysiological Response Style, it could not be concluded that patients with different fear etiologies or response styles benefit differentially from the 2 treatments given.
Related Concept Videos
Behavior Therapy
Exposure therapy is a cornerstone of behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders. It involves systematic exposure to feared stimuli, either in real...
Psychodynamic Therapy
Preparedness and Phobias
Cognitive Therapy
Cognitive Theories: Lazarus Mediational Theory of Emotion
Cognitive Appraisal and Emotional Response
Lazarus proposed that emotions are not solely...
The Scientific Method
