counter conditioning
- noun
- /ˈkaʊntər kənˈdɪʃənɪŋ/
- Specialized
:
contracondicionamiento
- The therapist explained that counter conditioning involves teaching the client a new positive response to their anxiety triggers.
Examples
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That is a surefire way of overcoming wallflowerness by desensitization, counter conditioning, and exploring their world.
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Counter-conditioning is usually based on altering behavior through desensitization, relaxation, and the creation of hierarchies of the feared object.
Academic text (1993) -
In behavior therapy, counter conditioning helps pets learn to associate positive experiences with previously frightening stimuli.
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One effective method for reducing fear of loud noises is counter conditioning, where the individual learns to feel calm instead.
Synonyms
1
6.8
To change learned reactions like fear by training or therapy
A therapy method that replaces an unwanted reaction with a positive one
A therapy method using one response to stop another that cannot occur together, for example using relaxation to reduce anxiety
A treatment that teaches people to relax to reduce anxiety in scary situations
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun is compositionally built from 'counter' (opposing) + 'conditioning' (learning by stimulus association), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to conditioning that opposes or replaces a previous conditioned response. The structure and meaning are literal and cross-linguistically plausible, making the concept predictable even if the specific technical usage is new.
Etymology
The noun counter conditioning comes from the simple image of using one kind of training to work against a learned reaction. The word counter means 'against' and conditioning means 'teaching a response', so you teach a new calm reaction to a thing that once caused fear, and that is why the term means 'learning a different response'.