Emotive imagery and children's night-time fears: a multiple baseline design evaluation

Emotive imagery is a variant of systematic desensitization that has been used in the treatment of children's excessive fears. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of emotive imagery as a fear reduction procedure using a multiple baseline design across subjects. Three children (6, 8 and 11 years old) with night-time fears participated in the study. The children showed marked behavioral improvements on a test for darkness toleration that was administered on alternate days in their homes. However, they reported experiencing very little fear in these tests. Over the intervention period fewer night-time behavioral disturbances were observed for two subjects. Parents expressed some concern about the darkness test but were satisfied with emotive imagery as a fear reduction procedure. As children's phobias are characterized by multiple processes, we recommend a combination of treatment procedures in clinical practice.