Geoffrey Thorpe - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Geoffrey Thorpe

Research paper thumbnail of Cognitive Restructuring and Interoceptive Exposure in the Treatment of Panic Disorder: A Crossover Study

Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 1998

The relative efficacy of cognitive restructuring and interoceptive exposure procedures for the tr... more The relative efficacy of cognitive restructuring and interoceptive exposure procedures for the treatment of panic disorder, as well as the differential effects of the order of these interventions, was studied. Eighteen clients with panic disorder were seen for four sessions of exposure therapy and four sessions of cognitive therapy in a crossover design study. Half of the participants received exposure therapy followed by cognitive therapy and for half the order was reversed. There was a 1-month follow-up period between the two interventions and after the second intervention. Questionnaire measures and independent clinician ratings were used to assess outcome. Participants expected greater benefit from cognitive therapy, but tended to improve to a similar degree with either intervention. The order in which treatments were presented did not influence outcome. Participants tended to improve with the first intervention and maintain improvement across the follow-up periods and subsequen...

Research paper thumbnail of Components of Cognitive-Behavioural Treatment for Performance Anxiety

Behavioural Psychotherapy, 1980

Research paper thumbnail of Fear Reduction Processes in Imaginal and In Vivo Flooding: A Comment on James' Review

Behavioural Psychotherapy, 1987

The research comparing imaginal and in vivo exposure in the treatment of clinically significant f... more The research comparing imaginal and in vivo exposure in the treatment of clinically significant fear, recently reviewed by James (1986), is reexamined from the perspective of bioinformational theory and the concept of emotional processing. Fear is assumed to be stored in long term memory as a network of propositionally-coded information, which has to be processed if treatment is to be successful. Emotional processing is indicated by activation of fear responses and their habituation within and across treatment sessions. Consistent with the theory, our review indicates that successful treatment via imaginal and in vivo exposure is indeed related to activation and habituation oHear responses; interference with processing has a negative impact upon fear reduction, regardless of the specific treatment techniques employed. Furthermore, some apparendy discrepant findings in the available research literature can be understood in terms of the theories cited. These ideas provide a useful perspective from which to plan future research efforts and to advance our understanding of the processes llnderlying reduction of pathological fear. Psychophysiology 19, 571-572 (abstract). MATHEWS, A. M.,]OHNSTON, D. W., LANCASHIRE, M., MUNBY, M., SHAW, P. M. and GELDER, M. G. (1976). Imaginal Hooding and exposure to real phobic situations: Treatment outcome with agoraphobic patients. British Jot/rnal of Psychiatry 129, 362-37l. McNEIL, D. W., MELAMED, B. G., CUTHBERT, B. N. and LANG, P.]. (1983).

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction to Clinical Psychology: Science, Practice, and Ethics

Research paper thumbnail of Insight Versus Rehearsal in Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy: A Crossover Study with Sixteen Phobics

Behavioural Psychotherapy, 1987

Research paper thumbnail of Fears and clinical phobias: epidemiological aspects and the national survey of agoraphobics

The Journal of international medical research, 1977

Research paper thumbnail of Behavioral Approaches to the Problems of Later Life

The Clinical Psychology of Aging, 1978

Research paper thumbnail of Brief Report: Dimensions of Burnout in Professionals Working with Sex Offenders

Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 2001

This report describes a brief questionnaire to investigate burnout potential in professionals wor... more This report describes a brief questionnaire to investigate burnout potential in professionals working with sex offenders in clinical, forensic, and human services settings. The Professional Impact Questionnaire, a 31-item inventory with subscales assessing professional performance, coping strategies, and emotional reactions was tested initially with 17 clinicians who provide sex offender evaluations. In an altered format, the questionnaire was administered to 70 clinicians, jurists, and frontline caseworkers and their supervisors. The satisfactory psychometric properties of the original questionnaire were retained in the modified version with this new sample of respondents. Caseworkers reported significantly greater emotional distress than attorneys and judges. For all participants, negative emotional reactions were associated with a sense of impaired work performance. Using positive coping strategies was correlated with reporting relatively few adverse effects on professional functioning.

Research paper thumbnail of A Multidisciplinary British Perspective on Agoraphobia

Research paper thumbnail of Attentional bias to threat and emotional response to biological challenge

Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2004

Attentional bias towards threat reliably correlates with clinical anxiety status as well as eleva... more Attentional bias towards threat reliably correlates with clinical anxiety status as well as elevated trait anxiety. Although such findings have led many to posit a potential causative or predictive role of threat-biased attentional processes on anxiety problems, little informative research exists. The present investigation was designed to address the role of threat-biased attentional processes on emotional/fearful responding. Eighty-seven participants provided baseline measures of anxiety vulnerability (i.e., anxiety sensitivity; unmasked/masked emotional Stroop task indices) and then underwent biological challenge procedures (inhalations of 20% carbon dioxide (CO 2 )-enriched air). Following challenge, participants completed measures of emotional response. Regression analyses indicated that both unmasked and masked attentional bias indices significantly predicted emotional responding above and beyond anxiety sensitivity. Exploratory analyses also revealed a gender effect, with prediction of emotional response largely attributable to females.

Research paper thumbnail of Behavioral techniques in the treatment of obesity: A comparative analysis

Behaviour Research and Therapy, 1973

The relative efficacy of the major techniques typically used in behavioral treatment programs for... more The relative efficacy of the major techniques typically used in behavioral treatment programs for weight reduction was investigated using obese adult volunteers. Study 1 compared the effects of self-monitoring, self-control procedures, monetary rewards, aversive imagery and relaxation training. These procedures resulted in significantly greater weight reduction than either a no treatment group or subjects who graphed and recorded daily weight. Self-monitoring of daily caloric intake was as effective as the other methods, both singly and combined, over a 4 week treatment period. Study 2 compared the long-term effects of selfmonitoring vs the full complement of behavioral techniques used in Study 1. The full behavior management program was significantly more effective, both during the treatment period and at 3 and 12 week follow-ups, although self-monitoring again produced substantial weight loss.

Research paper thumbnail of Contributions of overt instructional rehearsal and “specific insight” to the effectiveness of self-instructional training: A preliminary study

Behavior Therapy, 1976

ABSTRACT 32 high school students participated in 5 sessions of group self-instructional training ... more ABSTRACT 32 high school students participated in 5 sessions of group self-instructional training (SIT) aimed at reducing public speaking fears. Ss met in 4 matched groups of 8, each of which received a variant of SIT. The roles of instructional rehearsal (of productive self-statements) and of specific insight into unproductive cognitions were examined by comparing the following treatments: general insight (in the form of Rational-Emotive Therapy, RET); specific insight ; instructional rehearsal ; and insight plus rehearsal . Self-report measures revealed a general superiority of the groups not receiving instructional rehearsal (i.e., RET and specific insight). The group differences were maintained at least up to 3 mo after treatment, as measured by a battery of selected self-report measures (e.g., Social Avoidance and Distress Scale and Affect-Adjective Check List). It is concluded that "insight" into unproductive thinking is a more important ingredient of SIT than the overt rehearsal of statements evidencing productive thinking, at least in brief, analog treatment. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Research paper thumbnail of Book reviewsBook reviewsJohnsonLisa E.ThorpeGeoffrey L.Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Training, University of Maine.041994222185187Psychotherapy and Counseling with Minorities: A Cognitive Approach to Individual and Cultural Differences RamirezManuelIII. New York: Pergamon Press (Ps...

Behav Cognitive Psychother, 1994

Research paper thumbnail of The Common Beliefs Survey III and its subscales: discriminant validity in clinical and nonclinical subjects

Journal of Rational Emotive and Cognitive Behavior Therapy, May 31, 1992

Scores on "irrational beliefs" inventories usually correlate well with scores on questionnaires a... more Scores on "irrational beliefs" inventories usually correlate well with scores on questionnaires about emotional feeling states, consistent with central tenets of RET and cognitive therapy. However, without specific demonstrations of beliefs inventories' discriminant validity, it is possible that they would correlate well with any questionnaire about negative states or events, thus limiting conclusions about links between thoughts and feelings. In a test of the discriminant validity of the Common Beliefs Survey (CBS), we examined responses to a battery of questionnaires on beliefs and emotional states that had been administered to 151 subjects drawn from samples of college students, hospital staff members, mental health center outpatients, and state hospital inpatients. Results were that the CBS shows (a) satisfactory internal consistency; (b) discriminant validity in that its subscales on self-criticism and perfectionism clearly differentiate clinical from nonclinical subjects; (c) the predicted strong correlations with questionnaires on emotional feeling states; (d) convergent validity in showing a strong correlation with another beliefs inventory; and (e) discriminant validity in correlating more strongly with the other beliefs inventory than with most of the questionnaires on feeling states. The CBS thus shows some respectable psychometric properties that justify its further refinement as a clinical instrument.

Research paper thumbnail of Panic disorder with agorophobia

Research paper thumbnail of Data Analysis Using Item Response Theory Methodology: An Introduction to Selected Programs and Applications

Research paper thumbnail of The Common Beliefs Survey-III and the Situational Self- Statement and Affective State Inventory: Test-Retest Reliability, Internal Consistency, and Further Psychometric Considerations

Journal of Rational Emotive and Cognitive Behavior Therapy, 2001

The Common Beliefs Survey-III (CBS-III), a factored measure of general irrational beliefs, has sa... more The Common Beliefs Survey-III (CBS-III), a factored measure of general irrational beliefs, has satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity. The Situational Self-Statement and Affective State Inventory (SSSASI), also with acceptable basic psychometric properties, assesses specific thoughts and feelings in response to vignettes describing frustrating events. Both inventories are potentially useful in assessing dimensions important to REBT, but information on test-retest reliability is needed. The CBS-III and the SSSASI were administered to 101 undergraduate students on two occasions, two or three weeks apart. Satisfactory test-retest reliability coefficients were obtained on all subscales of both inventories, but in the case of the SSSASI reliabilities were generally stronger when the same form of the test was used on both occasions (Form 1

Research paper thumbnail of Activity Level, Activity Enjoyment, and Weather as Mediators of Physical Health Risks in Seasonal and Nonseasonal Depression

Journal of Rational Emotive Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Jan 29, 2010

Research suggests that depression has negative consequences on physical health. One of the mechan... more Research suggests that depression has negative consequences on physical health. One of the mechanisms driving this link may be the decrease in physical activity characteristic of individuals before and during a depressive episode. However, the factors that influence changes in physical activity across the seasons remain unclear. For instance, weather has been proposed to play an important role in the

Research paper thumbnail of The Relationship Between Premenstrual Distress and Anxiety Sensitivity: The Mediating Role of Rumination

Journal of Rational Emotive and Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Aug 22, 2009

Given that premenstrual distress is reported by large numbers of women, research has focused on t... more Given that premenstrual distress is reported by large numbers of women, research has focused on the identification of biological and psychological factors that influence its severity. Previous research suggests that women who are high in anxiety sensitivity also report greater levels of premenstrual distress and negative affect. According to the menstrual reactivity hypothesis, women who have a tendency to self-focus

Research paper thumbnail of The Elements of Item Response Theory and its Framework in Analyzing Introductory Astronomy College Student Misconceptions. I. Galaxies

This is the first in a series of papers that analyze college student beliefs in realms where comm... more This is the first in a series of papers that analyze college student beliefs in realms where common astronomy misconceptions are prevalent. Data was collected through administration of an inventory distributed at the end of an introductory college astronomy course. In this paper, we present the basic mathematics of item response theory (IRT), and then we use it to explore concepts related to galaxies. We show how IRT determines the difficulty of each galaxy topic under consideration. We find that the concept of galaxy spatial distribution presents the greatest challenge to students of all the galaxy topics. We also find and present the most logical sequence to teach galaxy topics as a function of the audience's age.

Research paper thumbnail of Cognitive Restructuring and Interoceptive Exposure in the Treatment of Panic Disorder: A Crossover Study

Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 1998

The relative efficacy of cognitive restructuring and interoceptive exposure procedures for the tr... more The relative efficacy of cognitive restructuring and interoceptive exposure procedures for the treatment of panic disorder, as well as the differential effects of the order of these interventions, was studied. Eighteen clients with panic disorder were seen for four sessions of exposure therapy and four sessions of cognitive therapy in a crossover design study. Half of the participants received exposure therapy followed by cognitive therapy and for half the order was reversed. There was a 1-month follow-up period between the two interventions and after the second intervention. Questionnaire measures and independent clinician ratings were used to assess outcome. Participants expected greater benefit from cognitive therapy, but tended to improve to a similar degree with either intervention. The order in which treatments were presented did not influence outcome. Participants tended to improve with the first intervention and maintain improvement across the follow-up periods and subsequen...

Research paper thumbnail of Components of Cognitive-Behavioural Treatment for Performance Anxiety

Behavioural Psychotherapy, 1980

Research paper thumbnail of Fear Reduction Processes in Imaginal and In Vivo Flooding: A Comment on James' Review

Behavioural Psychotherapy, 1987

The research comparing imaginal and in vivo exposure in the treatment of clinically significant f... more The research comparing imaginal and in vivo exposure in the treatment of clinically significant fear, recently reviewed by James (1986), is reexamined from the perspective of bioinformational theory and the concept of emotional processing. Fear is assumed to be stored in long term memory as a network of propositionally-coded information, which has to be processed if treatment is to be successful. Emotional processing is indicated by activation of fear responses and their habituation within and across treatment sessions. Consistent with the theory, our review indicates that successful treatment via imaginal and in vivo exposure is indeed related to activation and habituation oHear responses; interference with processing has a negative impact upon fear reduction, regardless of the specific treatment techniques employed. Furthermore, some apparendy discrepant findings in the available research literature can be understood in terms of the theories cited. These ideas provide a useful perspective from which to plan future research efforts and to advance our understanding of the processes llnderlying reduction of pathological fear. Psychophysiology 19, 571-572 (abstract). MATHEWS, A. M.,]OHNSTON, D. W., LANCASHIRE, M., MUNBY, M., SHAW, P. M. and GELDER, M. G. (1976). Imaginal Hooding and exposure to real phobic situations: Treatment outcome with agoraphobic patients. British Jot/rnal of Psychiatry 129, 362-37l. McNEIL, D. W., MELAMED, B. G., CUTHBERT, B. N. and LANG, P.]. (1983).

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction to Clinical Psychology: Science, Practice, and Ethics

Research paper thumbnail of Insight Versus Rehearsal in Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy: A Crossover Study with Sixteen Phobics

Behavioural Psychotherapy, 1987

Research paper thumbnail of Fears and clinical phobias: epidemiological aspects and the national survey of agoraphobics

The Journal of international medical research, 1977

Research paper thumbnail of Behavioral Approaches to the Problems of Later Life

The Clinical Psychology of Aging, 1978

Research paper thumbnail of Brief Report: Dimensions of Burnout in Professionals Working with Sex Offenders

Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 2001

This report describes a brief questionnaire to investigate burnout potential in professionals wor... more This report describes a brief questionnaire to investigate burnout potential in professionals working with sex offenders in clinical, forensic, and human services settings. The Professional Impact Questionnaire, a 31-item inventory with subscales assessing professional performance, coping strategies, and emotional reactions was tested initially with 17 clinicians who provide sex offender evaluations. In an altered format, the questionnaire was administered to 70 clinicians, jurists, and frontline caseworkers and their supervisors. The satisfactory psychometric properties of the original questionnaire were retained in the modified version with this new sample of respondents. Caseworkers reported significantly greater emotional distress than attorneys and judges. For all participants, negative emotional reactions were associated with a sense of impaired work performance. Using positive coping strategies was correlated with reporting relatively few adverse effects on professional functioning.

Research paper thumbnail of A Multidisciplinary British Perspective on Agoraphobia

Research paper thumbnail of Attentional bias to threat and emotional response to biological challenge

Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2004

Attentional bias towards threat reliably correlates with clinical anxiety status as well as eleva... more Attentional bias towards threat reliably correlates with clinical anxiety status as well as elevated trait anxiety. Although such findings have led many to posit a potential causative or predictive role of threat-biased attentional processes on anxiety problems, little informative research exists. The present investigation was designed to address the role of threat-biased attentional processes on emotional/fearful responding. Eighty-seven participants provided baseline measures of anxiety vulnerability (i.e., anxiety sensitivity; unmasked/masked emotional Stroop task indices) and then underwent biological challenge procedures (inhalations of 20% carbon dioxide (CO 2 )-enriched air). Following challenge, participants completed measures of emotional response. Regression analyses indicated that both unmasked and masked attentional bias indices significantly predicted emotional responding above and beyond anxiety sensitivity. Exploratory analyses also revealed a gender effect, with prediction of emotional response largely attributable to females.

Research paper thumbnail of Behavioral techniques in the treatment of obesity: A comparative analysis

Behaviour Research and Therapy, 1973

The relative efficacy of the major techniques typically used in behavioral treatment programs for... more The relative efficacy of the major techniques typically used in behavioral treatment programs for weight reduction was investigated using obese adult volunteers. Study 1 compared the effects of self-monitoring, self-control procedures, monetary rewards, aversive imagery and relaxation training. These procedures resulted in significantly greater weight reduction than either a no treatment group or subjects who graphed and recorded daily weight. Self-monitoring of daily caloric intake was as effective as the other methods, both singly and combined, over a 4 week treatment period. Study 2 compared the long-term effects of selfmonitoring vs the full complement of behavioral techniques used in Study 1. The full behavior management program was significantly more effective, both during the treatment period and at 3 and 12 week follow-ups, although self-monitoring again produced substantial weight loss.

Research paper thumbnail of Contributions of overt instructional rehearsal and “specific insight” to the effectiveness of self-instructional training: A preliminary study

Behavior Therapy, 1976

ABSTRACT 32 high school students participated in 5 sessions of group self-instructional training ... more ABSTRACT 32 high school students participated in 5 sessions of group self-instructional training (SIT) aimed at reducing public speaking fears. Ss met in 4 matched groups of 8, each of which received a variant of SIT. The roles of instructional rehearsal (of productive self-statements) and of specific insight into unproductive cognitions were examined by comparing the following treatments: general insight (in the form of Rational-Emotive Therapy, RET); specific insight ; instructional rehearsal ; and insight plus rehearsal . Self-report measures revealed a general superiority of the groups not receiving instructional rehearsal (i.e., RET and specific insight). The group differences were maintained at least up to 3 mo after treatment, as measured by a battery of selected self-report measures (e.g., Social Avoidance and Distress Scale and Affect-Adjective Check List). It is concluded that "insight" into unproductive thinking is a more important ingredient of SIT than the overt rehearsal of statements evidencing productive thinking, at least in brief, analog treatment. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Research paper thumbnail of Book reviewsBook reviewsJohnsonLisa E.ThorpeGeoffrey L.Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Training, University of Maine.041994222185187Psychotherapy and Counseling with Minorities: A Cognitive Approach to Individual and Cultural Differences RamirezManuelIII. New York: Pergamon Press (Ps...

Behav Cognitive Psychother, 1994

Research paper thumbnail of The Common Beliefs Survey III and its subscales: discriminant validity in clinical and nonclinical subjects

Journal of Rational Emotive and Cognitive Behavior Therapy, May 31, 1992

Scores on "irrational beliefs" inventories usually correlate well with scores on questionnaires a... more Scores on "irrational beliefs" inventories usually correlate well with scores on questionnaires about emotional feeling states, consistent with central tenets of RET and cognitive therapy. However, without specific demonstrations of beliefs inventories' discriminant validity, it is possible that they would correlate well with any questionnaire about negative states or events, thus limiting conclusions about links between thoughts and feelings. In a test of the discriminant validity of the Common Beliefs Survey (CBS), we examined responses to a battery of questionnaires on beliefs and emotional states that had been administered to 151 subjects drawn from samples of college students, hospital staff members, mental health center outpatients, and state hospital inpatients. Results were that the CBS shows (a) satisfactory internal consistency; (b) discriminant validity in that its subscales on self-criticism and perfectionism clearly differentiate clinical from nonclinical subjects; (c) the predicted strong correlations with questionnaires on emotional feeling states; (d) convergent validity in showing a strong correlation with another beliefs inventory; and (e) discriminant validity in correlating more strongly with the other beliefs inventory than with most of the questionnaires on feeling states. The CBS thus shows some respectable psychometric properties that justify its further refinement as a clinical instrument.

Research paper thumbnail of Panic disorder with agorophobia

Research paper thumbnail of Data Analysis Using Item Response Theory Methodology: An Introduction to Selected Programs and Applications

Research paper thumbnail of The Common Beliefs Survey-III and the Situational Self- Statement and Affective State Inventory: Test-Retest Reliability, Internal Consistency, and Further Psychometric Considerations

Journal of Rational Emotive and Cognitive Behavior Therapy, 2001

The Common Beliefs Survey-III (CBS-III), a factored measure of general irrational beliefs, has sa... more The Common Beliefs Survey-III (CBS-III), a factored measure of general irrational beliefs, has satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity. The Situational Self-Statement and Affective State Inventory (SSSASI), also with acceptable basic psychometric properties, assesses specific thoughts and feelings in response to vignettes describing frustrating events. Both inventories are potentially useful in assessing dimensions important to REBT, but information on test-retest reliability is needed. The CBS-III and the SSSASI were administered to 101 undergraduate students on two occasions, two or three weeks apart. Satisfactory test-retest reliability coefficients were obtained on all subscales of both inventories, but in the case of the SSSASI reliabilities were generally stronger when the same form of the test was used on both occasions (Form 1

Research paper thumbnail of Activity Level, Activity Enjoyment, and Weather as Mediators of Physical Health Risks in Seasonal and Nonseasonal Depression

Journal of Rational Emotive Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Jan 29, 2010

Research suggests that depression has negative consequences on physical health. One of the mechan... more Research suggests that depression has negative consequences on physical health. One of the mechanisms driving this link may be the decrease in physical activity characteristic of individuals before and during a depressive episode. However, the factors that influence changes in physical activity across the seasons remain unclear. For instance, weather has been proposed to play an important role in the

Research paper thumbnail of The Relationship Between Premenstrual Distress and Anxiety Sensitivity: The Mediating Role of Rumination

Journal of Rational Emotive and Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Aug 22, 2009

Given that premenstrual distress is reported by large numbers of women, research has focused on t... more Given that premenstrual distress is reported by large numbers of women, research has focused on the identification of biological and psychological factors that influence its severity. Previous research suggests that women who are high in anxiety sensitivity also report greater levels of premenstrual distress and negative affect. According to the menstrual reactivity hypothesis, women who have a tendency to self-focus

Research paper thumbnail of The Elements of Item Response Theory and its Framework in Analyzing Introductory Astronomy College Student Misconceptions. I. Galaxies

This is the first in a series of papers that analyze college student beliefs in realms where comm... more This is the first in a series of papers that analyze college student beliefs in realms where common astronomy misconceptions are prevalent. Data was collected through administration of an inventory distributed at the end of an introductory college astronomy course. In this paper, we present the basic mathematics of item response theory (IRT), and then we use it to explore concepts related to galaxies. We show how IRT determines the difficulty of each galaxy topic under consideration. We find that the concept of galaxy spatial distribution presents the greatest challenge to students of all the galaxy topics. We also find and present the most logical sequence to teach galaxy topics as a function of the audience's age.