Cognitive Structure

Cognitive structure is defined as the set of concepts and ideas that an individual possesses about a specific field of knowledge, as well as the way
in which they are organized.

In the process of guiding learning for the acquisition of new knowledge, it is vital to understand the cognitive structure of the student; not only does it
try to know the amount of information it possesses, but also what concepts and propositions it currently handles, as well as its degree of stability,
that the student has a good grasp of the knowledge acquired previously.

Human experience involves not only thought but also affectivity, and only by considering them together is the individual empowered to enrich.
the meaning of his experience.

The learning principles proposed by Ausubel provide the framework for the design of metacognitive tools that allow for understanding the organization of the
cognitive structure of the student, which will allow for better guidance of the educational work, this will no longer be seen as a task that should be carried out with 'minds
in blank" or that students' learning begins from "zero", as it is not the case, but rather that students have a series of experiences and knowledge that
affect their learning and can be leveraged for their benefit. The above tells us that for a long time, there have been tools to know the
cognitive structure of human beings, and thus be able to apply teaching techniques.

Ausubel summarizes this fact as follows: "If I had to reduce all of educational psychology to a single principle, I would state this: The most important factor that
What influences learning is what the student already knows. Find this out and teach accordingly.

As we see, Ausubel places a lot of importance on cognitive structure.

Ausubel's theory is cognitive. It explains the learning process according to cognitivism. It focuses on the processes of comprehension and transformation.
storage and use of information involved in cognition.

The concept of cognition (from Latin: cognocer, 'to know') refers to the capacity of beings to process information based on perception, knowledge.
acquired and subjective characteristics that allow us to evaluate and consider certain aspects to the detriment of others. Cognition is closely related to
abstract concepts such as mind, perception, reasoning, intelligence, learning.

Ausubel argues that the set of concepts accumulated in the cognitive structure of each student is unique. Each person will build different conceptual links.
even if they are involved in the same learning task.

Each individual forms a series of conceptual blocks organized in a way that makes it easier for them to understand and memorize them.

Learned materials can be retained for relatively long periods of time, months or even years. Therefore, the structure
cognitive is forged over time.

Combinatorial learning occurs when new ideas are potentially significant, as they can relate; due to their similarity, to general content.
suitable for the cognitive structure.

The cognitive structure is not static, but dynamic, constantly modifying and reorganizing during meaningful learning. There are two basic processes:

Progressive differentiation: as new ideas are incorporated by a certain inclusive element, they gain meaning and the inclusive element becomes
modifying by the incorporation of additional meanings. This process determines a progressive differentiation of the inclusive element.

• Integrative reconciliation: in superordinate learning or in combinatorial, while new information is acquired, the constituent elements of
Cognitive structures can be reorganized and acquire new meanings, resulting in an integrative reconciliation that also implies a differentiation.
progressive.

The cognitive structure can be understood as a mental process that people use to understand the information they receive. The structure
cognitive allows for the organization of that information, in such a way that the person can learn and remember, meaning that these structures integrate what is the
comprehension and memory. In other words, the cognitive structure is seen as a set ofideaswhat a subject has about a certain area of the
knowledge and the way to organize it in their mind.

Within the learning process, in order to capture new knowledge, it is very important to identify the cognitive structure of the student. Not only for
to know how much information they have, but rather what concepts they know how to master, as well as their level of stability

There are three types of cognitive structures:

The first are of comparative thinking, such as memorization and classification.

The second ones are those of symbolic representation, such as dance, music, mathematics, and gestures.

The third is logical reasoning, such as reasoning, cause and effect, evaluation, and problem-solving.
If various people were asked what is the first thing that comes to mind when talking about flying, it is likely that they would have different answers.

What is this due to? It is because all individuals think differently and do so because they have different cognitive structures.

As people educate themselves and gain knowledge, they store all that information neatly in their memory, and every time they assimilate new
knowledge, proceeds to store it in his memory.

Cognitive diagnostic models integrate Psychometrics and Cognitive Psychology with the aim of making detailed measurements of processes or attributes.
cognitive skills required to solve the items of a test. Within this context, the least squares distance method (in English, LSDM) uses the
parameters of the items, estimated with one of the models of Item Response Theory (IRT), to analyze the attributes and provide evidence about the
validity of the cognitive structure. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) defines three underlying cognitive processes related to performance
of the science items in PISA-2006: a) identify scientific questions, b) explain phenomena scientifically, and c) use scientific evidence. The objective of
The present work is to analyze these three processes and gather evidence on the validity of the structure proposed by the OECD, using the LSDM for that purpose. A second
The objective is to compare the participating autonomous communities regarding the mastery of the three attributes. The results show that the proposed structure explains
adequately the execution of students on the items and that there are significant differences between three autonomous communities regarding mastery of the
same.

COGNITIVE TECHNIQUES

One of the wonders of the human mind is its ability to learn an action so well that it becomes automatic. Some actions that take us years
Learning now is so automatic that we don't think about it. In fact, we spend most of the day on 'autopilot'. Practically in all of the
Moments of our conscious life, we maintain a conversation with ourselves. This silent internal conversation is called self-talk.
Let’s see an example: In a crowded theater, a woman suddenly stands up, slaps the man next to her, and quickly walks down the aisle towards the...
departure. Each of the people who have seen the scene reacts in their own way. A woman gets scared, a teenager becomes enraged, a mature man feels sad,
A social worker feels a pleasant sensation. Why does the same event provoke such different emotions among the audience? We can find the answer.
examining the thoughts of each observer. The scared woman thought: 'He must always be bothering her at home and she couldn't stand it any longer' imagining the
details of a brutal beating and recalling the times she has mistreated him. The angry teenager thought: "He just wanted a kiss and she humiliated him. Poor guy, what a shame."
aunt more unfortunate." The mature man who reacted with sadness thought: "Now he has lost her and will never see her again." The social worker felt a pleasant pleasure.
Upon thinking: "She has earned it. What a strong woman!!! I wish some women had seen this." In each case, the EMOTION of the observer was a
consequence of their THOUGHTS. The event was interpreted, judged, and labeled in such a way that a particular emotional response was inevitable. All the
people are constantly describing the world to themselves, giving each event or experience a label. They make interpretations of what they see and what
Listen. These labels or judgments are formed throughout an endless dialogue of each person with themselves, and they color the entire experience with interpretations.
private. Rarely do we notice these thoughts, but they are powerful enough to create the most intense emotions. Let's look at another one.
Example: A girl was waiting for her flight in a waiting room of a large airport.
As he had to wait a long time, he decided to buy a book and also a package of cookies. He sat in an airport lounge to be able to rest and read in peace.
In the seat between them sat a man who opened a magazine and started reading. The cookies remained between them. When she took the first one, the man did too.
She took one. She felt indignant, but said nothing. She only thought: 'How shameless; if I were braver, I would even slap him so he never forgets it!'
Every time she took a cookie, the man would also take one. This infuriated him so much that he couldn't concentrate or react. When there was only one left
cookie, she thought: "What will this opportunist do now?" Then, the man broke the last cookie and left half for her. Oh no! That seemed too much to her!
he started to huff with rage. He closed his book and his things and headed to the boarding area. When he sat inside the plane, he looked inside his bag and for his
surprise, there was her cookie package... intact, closed. She felt so embarrassed! Only then did she realize how wrong she was. She had forgotten that
his cookies were kept inside his bag! The man had shared his without feeling indignant, nervous, dismayed, or upset. And he was no longer
There was no time or possibilities to give, explain or apologize. But there was time to reason: how many times in our lives do we draw conclusions when we should
observe better? How many things are not exactly as we think about people? Cognitive techniques are based on the theoretical assumption that our
feelings, emotions, and behaviors are largely determined by the way we structure the world and interpret the information we receive.
These cognitive techniques are used to identify and modify these distorted schemas with the aim of learning to resolve situations that previously
They were a problem. The learning process consists of: A) Identify negative automatic cognitions or thoughts B) Identify the relationships between:
Thought to Emotion to Behavior C) Examine the evidence for and against distorted thoughts and replace them with more accurate interpretations.
realists D) Learn to identify and modify false beliefs that predispose to distort one's own experiences A) IDENTIFY THE COGNITIONS
NEGATIVE AUTOMATIC THOUGHTS The fact of identifying our thoughts is not always as easy as it seems. We may not be
aware of many thoughts unless we pay a lot of attention. Sometimes we may believe that we are not thinking about anything; this is due to the
thoughts are so learned that they have become automatic. Practically in every moment of our conscious life we are conversing with
we ourselves produce an internal language based on phrases or images with which we describe and interpret the world. If this dialogue with ourselves
It fits reality accurately, it will not be a source of problems, but if it is not accurate regarding what really happens, it can cause us problems.
emotional. For example, one might think, 'I can't stand being alone,' well, no one has died simply for being alone. Being alone can be
uncomfortable, even undesirable but it can be tolerated. These thoughts that are part of our internal dialogue will be called automatic thoughts and
The characteristics of these are: 1. They have a telegraphic style: They are composed of a few essential words or a brief image. Almost always they are
believing, no matter how irrational they may be: A man who reacted with rage at the death of his best friend was unable to think for a while that death had...
He had deliberately come to punish him. Automatic thoughts are credible because they are hardly noticeable, which is why they are not questioned. They are lived
as spontaneous: They suddenly enter the mind. They are not reflective thoughts nor products of a person's analysis or reasoning about a problem. A
They are often expressed in terms of 'I should', 'I ought to': They often appear as obligations that we impose on ourselves, on others, and on the...
circumstances that surround us, in the form of intolerant demands. 5. They tend to dramatize or 'exaggerate things': These thoughts predict catastrophes, they see
Dangers are everywhere and always assume the worst. Dramatizations are the biggest source of anxiety. They are learned: All people have been
Conditioned by family, friends, the media, and their own experience to interpret events in a specific way. They are difficult to
control: As they are not rational or reflective thoughts, they are usually not checked against reality, and the person who has them tends to believe them easily. Like the
Automatic thoughts produce thinking errors, cut and distorted prisms of the events that occur, which are often habitual and repetitive.
they can be grouped into different COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS based on the mistakes they make. B) Identify the relationships between: Thinking →
Emotion to Behavior Why do we have unpleasant emotions? The explanation would be provided by the following chain: A - ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULUS (SITUATION)
B - AUTOMATIC NEGATIVE THOUGHTS C - NEGATIVE AND MALADAPTIVE EMOTION D - MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR The
Events by themselves have no emotional content. Unrealistic interpretations of these events (negative automatic thoughts)
They are the ones that explain and control our negative feelings and unpleasant emotions. One way to detect automatic thoughts is to
identify unpleasant emotions (anxiety, anger, sadness) since we perceive emotions more clearly. C) EXAMINE THE THOUGHT
DISTORTED AUTOMATIC AND REPLACE IT WITH A MORE REALISTIC ONE Once we know what types of thoughts can negatively affect
our behavior, the important thing is to learn to detect them. To do this, we must try to 'catch' this type of thinking and write it down on paper. It is important to do so.
as accurately as possible. The next step is to conduct a reality check: it involves verifying whether these thoughts align with the events.
that have provoked them. If we discover that they do not correspond to reality, they must be replaced with more realistic ones. As a starting point, it is important to accept
Just because we think something doesn't mean it is really true. Our thoughts are hypotheses that need to be verified. GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING THE
DISTORTED THOUGHTS We must constantly monitor the discourse of our thinking to identify the distortions. We must
try to refute and change them, focusing on them in a more realistic and objective way. a) Refutations must be vigorous to be more credible. They should not be
evaluative c) They should be balanced (including both the positive and the negative). Below are the questions we can ask to refute the...
distorted thoughts: Questions to evaluate the validity of thoughts: · What evidence exists in favor of this thought?
What is the probability that I am interpreting the situation correctly? Are there other alternative explanations for what has happened? Is there another way to
focus on it? Are my judgments based on what I feel rather than on the facts? Am I using extreme or exaggerated words - always, never,
everyone, should, would have to? Am I overestimating my responsibility for how things turn out? What other factors are involved? If this thought
If someone else had it, what would I say to make them see that it's not right? Questions to de-catastrophize and seek solutions: · Is this that seems so bad,
Will it last forever? How will things be in some time? Even if what I think is true, is that so bad? Why does this thought disturb me so much?
Why does it disturb me so much? Am I giving it more importance than it actually has? What would happen if things were really like this, if the worst happened?
I think it can happen? If things are like this, what can I do to change them? If another person had this thought, what would I tell them to help them?
confront the situation? Questions to evaluate the usefulness of thoughts: · Does this thought help me achieve my goals and solve my issues?
problems? Does this way of thinking help me feel how I want? What are the advantages and disadvantages of what I am believing?
Is thinking that advantageous for me?

OPERANT TECHNIQUES

They are techniques aimed at BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. They consist of providing stimuli to the patient in an orderly manner,
the objective of these stimuli is to facilitate the modification of problematic behavior.

Techniques for increasing and maintaining behaviors and Techniques for acquiring new behaviors. POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT, TOKEN ECONOMY,
CONTRACTS, MODELING...

Techniques for the reduction or elimination of behaviors: PUNISHMENT-REINFORCEMENT

EXPOSCON TECHNICAL MEETING

They consist of systematically and adaptively exposing the subject to those stimuli that they fear and that generate anxiety, so that in this way, they can gradually.
facing and overcoming their fears.

Live exhibition.

Exhibition in imagination.

RELAXATION AND SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION

They are procedures that help the individual reduce their physical and/or mental tension, reduce stress and anxiety, and find a state of calm.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation.

Creative Relaxation

Autogenic relaxation.

Breathing techniques. Symbolic exposure.

TECHNIQUES OF SOCIAL SKILLS AND COPING

Social skills are learned behaviors that can be modified and improved through learning techniques such as the following:

Training in self-instructions.

Modeling.

Role-playing.

Stress inoculation.

Problem solving.

TECHNICAL CONCEPTS

These techniques aim to modify the thinking and interpretations made of events that may cause discomfort and/or harmful behaviors.

Cognitive restructuring.

Rationalization.

Detention of thought.

Distraction.

Experiential therapies have developed thanks to existential humanist models. These approaches, such as those that come from the phenomenological tradition.
European existentialism and those who emerged from the American phenomenon of humanistic psychology.

Origin of Experiential Therapy

These models group a series of approaches:

Of differentiated evolution, although parallel.

They influence each other, but

each approach clearly safeguards its identity and differentiation from the others,

its development is more technical - We are clearly looking for practical intervention answers - than theoretical - they are not interested in developing a mega theoretical psychology about
human functioning.

Experiential models emerged from the need to build a psychology based on the study of working with healthy individuals, and not from those with.
severe neurosis or psychosis.

Experiential models propose moving away from thinking in terms of illness, whether present or future, to conceive life in terms of a
update or realization of biopsychosocial potentials.
Thus, the humanist attitude conceives of man as capable of balanced behavior in a spontaneous way that leads him towards fulfillment, development, freedom,
independence and the full realization.

In fact, this attitude emerged in the sixties as an opposition to three elements:

The dominant current of American industrial society and the specific type of thinking it produces, which imposes on man goals and ends alien to his own.
natural interests.

The evaluative and diagnostic attitude of classical psychology, and its use for social control.

Freudian pessimism and the cold objectivism of behaviorism. Their approach was like an antidote to the psychological currents of the time, which perceived man
in a pessimistic and mechanical way.

As background to the humanist movement and, therefore, also to experiential therapies, we find the following:

Jaspers' phenomenological psychiatry, which sought to empathize with the subjective experiences of mental patients through a meticulous description of
his psychopathological paintings.

The existential analysis of Binswanger, which approached the analysis of psychopathology from the perspective that it was a deviation from the fact of being in the world, that is, from the
the way we position ourselves towards the responsibility of existing and being free.

Frankl's logotherapy, which posits that the therapist's task is to help the patient find meaning in their life.

Although currently considered naive by many, at the time the humanist movement allowed a group of thinkers to unite around its ideas.
considerable, which provided ideological support to the social movements of the sixties and seventies in the United States, later spreading throughout the
Western civilization.

Characteristics of experiential therapies

Experiential models provide a view of man as a unique and different being, endowed with a project and in search of meanings that give some transcendence to his
life.

Within the humanist movement, there is an important focus, which is the transactional analysis of E. Berne, that had significant development and many applications over the years.
seventy and eighty with the analysis of life scripts, games, and transactions.

This approach consists of five levels of analysis:

Structural analysis, which is based on the conceptualization of the three ego states (parent, adult, child), aims for the client to detect their predominant ego state.
and the internal dynamics among themselves.

The analysis of transactions, which deals with the study of communication and the exchange of messages from one person's ego state to another, allows for
understand certain types of communication failures.

The analysis of games, which includes the study of hidden transactions aimed at manipulating others.

The analysis of scripts, which aims to study the most entrenched behavioral patterns related to a kind of parental programming that occurs in the
childhood.

The development analysis (similar to psychoanalytic), which focuses on identifying paternal programming messages.

We can highlight the following as the most significant approaches of experiential models:

Client-centered therapy, by Carl Rogers.

Gestalt therapy, by Fritz Perls.

Psychodrama, by Moreno.

Body and energy therapies.

The great importance they give to emotion as an essential element for therapeutic work is one of the characteristics that define experiential models.
In fact, they use many technical resources to evoke it, as they believe that there is only a stable and lasting change in a person's functioning if the
active intervention (cognitive, behavioral, or emotional) in some way schemes emotions. For this, in the laboratory situation that is therapy of
Perceptual-experiential experiments create, initiate emotion, and help restructure behaviorally, cognitively, and emotionally.
Relationally, the experience of experiences provides more flexibility and freedom in the person.

1. Exposure techniques

These types of techniques are used especially in cases of phobias and anxiety disorders and impulse control. They are based on confronting the patient with
the feared stimulus or anxiety generator until it is reduced, so that one can learn to manage their behavior in front of it while also at a cognitive level
Restructure the thought processes that make him feel discomfort in response to that stimulus or situation.

In general, a hierarchy of feared stimuli is created between the patient and the therapist, so that the patient can gradually approach and expose themselves to.
They gradually. The speed of approach can vary enormously depending on whether the patient feels more or less capable of facing what they fear.

Exposition techniques can be applied in very diverse ways, both live and in imagination, and it is even possible to take advantage of technological possibilities.
to apply exposure through virtual reality.

Related article: 'Types of phobias: exploring fear disorders'

2. Systematic desensitization

Although the procedure applied in systematic desensitization is similar to that of exposure, as it also establishes a hierarchy of stimuli.
anxiogens to which the patient will be exposed differs from previous techniques in that the patient has been previously trained in performing
responses incompatible with anxiety.

Thus, the aim is to reduce anxiety and the avoidance of situations and stimuli by engaging in behaviors that prevent it from arising, and over time provoke
a counter-conditioning that ends up generalizing.

Different variants of this technique are emotional enactments (especially applied with children and using a pleasant context in which little by little it
they introduce the stimuli), emotional imagination (in which positive mental images are used to avoid anxiety as much as possible) or contact desensitization
(in which the therapist would act as a model to teach how to behave).

3. Ascending Arrow Technique

This technique is fundamental in the treatment of most mental disorders, being a part of almost all cognitive-behavioral techniques. It is based on the
modification of the patient's thinking patterns through various methods, identifying their own thinking patterns and their influence on life
of the patient and generating together with the patient more adaptive and functional cognitive alternatives.

This is achieved through a series of questions that seek to explore the reasons behind each response given to topics that are important or significant for the
the person, and that relate to their reason for consultation. Thus, they are asked about the meaning of those ideas and thoughts, until a point is reached where
the person faces doubts such as: "Why have I assumed that I am this way?", "Why have I been behaving this way?", "Why do I give
so much importance to that experience?

It is a technique used within the framework of cognitive restructuring, a method widely used to modify thought patterns, and aims to
The objective is to allow patients to shed irrational and limiting beliefs, in order to adopt more adaptive ones.

Thus, beliefs, attitudes, and points of view are modified, all with the aim of making the person interpret things differently, on one hand, and
different objectives and expectations are set, on the other hand.

These modifications have the power to create new habits and to eliminate those routines that are unhelpful or cause discomfort.
this way, it encourages the person to engage in contexts, initiatives, tasks with therapeutic potential, which they would not have been exposed to in the case
if they had maintained the old belief system.

You might be interested: "The descending arrow technique: what it is and how it is used in therapy"
4. Modeling techniques

Modeling is a type of technique in which an individual performs a behavior or interacts in a situation with the aim of having the patient observe and learn a
concrete way of acting so that it is able to imitate it. The aim is for the observer to modify their behavior and/or thinking and to provide them with tools to
face certain situations.

There are different variants depending on whether the observer must replicate the behavior, whether the model has dominated from the beginning of performing the desired behavior or has resources.
similar to the patient so that an approximation to the objective is made, the number of people who act as a model or if the modeling is done live
or through other means such as imagination or technology.

You might be interested in: 'Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory'

5. Stress inoculation

This technique is based on preparing the subject to face potential stressful situations. It primarily aims to help the patient understand
how stress can affect you and how you can cope with it, in order to later teach you different cognitive and behavioral techniques like the others reflected here
and finally make them practice in controlled situations that allow for their generalization to everyday life.

The goal is for the person to get used to facing stressful situations rationally, without being paralyzed by their emotions.

Thus, stress inoculation is a form of psychological training that modifies our predispositions to react to stressful situations.
allowing us to adopt a more appropriate behavior pattern that does not lead us to fall into the self-fulfilling prophecy (in this case, the stress from the anticipation of
stress).

6. Training in self-instructions

Created by Meichenbaum, the self-instruction training is based on the role of these in behavior. It involves the instructions by which we guide
our own behavior indicating what and how we are going to do something, which is colored by expectations about the results to be obtained or by our own effectiveness.

Certain issues such as low self-esteem or perception of self-efficacy can lead to behavior being impaired and not being able to be carried out with
success and even avoid it. This technique aims to help the individual to be able to generate correct, realistic internal self-verbalizations that allow him/her to
carry out the actions you wish to take.

The process involves the therapist first modeling the action to be performed by stating the steps out loud. Subsequently, the patient will carry out
The action will be completed based on the instructions that the therapist will be reciting. Next, the patient will proceed to instruct themselves out loud.
to then repeat the process in a low voice and finally through subvocal, internalized speech.

This technique can be used on its own, although it is common to incorporate it as part of other therapies dedicated to the treatment of different disorders such as
depression or anxiety.

7. Problem-solving training

Problem-solving training is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy aimed at helping individuals cope with
certain situations that they are not capable of solving by themselves.

In this type of technique, aspects such as orientation towards the problem in question, the formulation of the problem, and the generation of possible alternatives are worked on.
solving it, the making of a decision regarding the most appropriate one and the verification of its results. In summary, it is about knowing how to approach situations.
complicated in the most constructive way possible, without being carried away by fears and anxiety.

8. Operant techniques for behavior modification

Although of behavioral origin, this type of technique is also part of the cognitive-behavioral repertoire. Through this type of technique, the aim is to
fundamentally to provoke a modification in behavior through stimulation.

They allow both to motivate and contribute to learning new behaviors as well as to reduce or modify them through the application of reinforcements or punishments. Within the techniques
in operant conditioning we can find shaping and chaining to enhance adaptive behaviors, differential reinforcement to reduce behaviors or
change them for others and the satiation, the time out or the overcorrection as a way to modify or extinguish behaviors.

9. Self-control techniques

The ability of self-management is a fundamental element that allows us to be autonomous and adapt to our environment, maintain our behavior and
stable thoughts despite the circumstances and/or being able to modify them when necessary. However, many people have difficulties in adjusting their
behavior, expectations or way of thinking about reality in an adaptive way, which can lead to different disorders.

Thus, self-control techniques are used to facilitate the learning of behavior patterns in which impulsivity is tempered by consideration.
of the future consequences that certain actions may entail.

Conducting training that strengthens self-control skills, such as that achieved with Rehm's self-control therapy, can help to control
problems of various kinds such as those produced in depressive and anxious processes.

10. Relaxation and breathing techniques

Physical and mental activation is a key element in explaining problems such as anxiety and stress. The suffering it causes...
The presence of problems and difficulties can partly be reduced by relaxation techniques, learning from them to manage bodily sensations of
so that it can also help manage the mind.

Within this group, we find Jacobson's progressive relaxation, Schultz's autogenic training, or breathing techniques.

Advantages of cognitive-behavioral techniques

Cognitive-behavioral techniques have shown a very high level of effectiveness in the treatment of various mental problems and disorders. Through them
It is possible to modify the patient's behavior and contribute to the acquisition of more adaptive lifestyle habits and behaviors, working on and modifying oneself as well.
the cognitive basis that induces original behaviors.

With these types of techniques, the mind and behavior are stimulated, producing a clear improvement in a large number of cases. Its level of effectiveness is such that today it is
considered the treatment of choice for most mental disorders.

Another great advantage of this type of techniques is their adherence to the scientific method, as cognitive behavioral therapies, techniques, and treatments are validated at the level
experimental.

1. Exposure techniques

This type of technique is used especially in cases of phobias, anxiety disorders, and impulse control. They are based on confronting the patient with
feared stimulus or anxiety generator until it is reduced, so that one can learn to manage their behavior in response to it while also at a cognitive level.
restructure the thought processes that make him feel discomfort in response to that stimulus or situation.

In general, a hierarchy of feared stimuli is established between the patient and the therapist, so that the patient can gradually get closer and expose themselves to
they gradually. The rate of approaching may vary enormously depending on how capable the patient feels to face what is feared.

Exposure techniques can be applied in many different ways, both live and in imagination, and it is even possible to take advantage of technological possibilities.
to apply exposure through virtual reality.

Related article: 'Types of phobias: exploring fear disorders'

2. Systematic desensitization

Although the procedure applied in systematic desensitization is similar to that of exposure, as it also establishes a hierarchy of stimuli.
anxiogens to which the patient is going to be exposed, differs from previous techniques in that the patient has been previously trained in the execution of
responses incompatible with anxiety.

Thus, the aim is to reduce anxiety and the avoidance of situations and stimuli by engaging in behaviors that prevent it from arising, and over time provoke
a counter-conditioning that ends up generalizing.

Different variants of this technique are emotional staging (especially applied with children and using a pleasant context where gradually it
they introduce stimuli), emotional imagination (in which positive mental images are used to avoid anxiety as much as possible) or contact desensitization
(in which the therapist would act as a model to teach how to behave).

3. Ascending arrow technique

This technique is fundamental in the treatment of most psychological disorders, forming part of almost all cognitive-behavioral techniques. It is based on the
modification of the patient's thought patterns through various methods, identifying their own thought patterns and their influence on life
of the patient and generating along with the patient more adaptive and functional cognitive alternatives.

This is achieved through a series of questions that seek to explore the reasons behind each response given to issues that are important or significant for the
a person, and they relate to their reason for consultation. Thus, one keeps asking about the meaning of those ideas and thoughts until reaching a point where
The person faces doubts such as: "Why have I assumed that I am like this?", "What reason have I been behaving this way?", "Why do I give
so much importance to that experience?

It is a technique used within the framework of cognitive restructuring, a widely used method for modifying thought patterns, and which has as
The objective is to allow patients to shed irrational and limiting beliefs in order to adopt more adaptive ones.

Thus, beliefs, attitudes, and viewpoints are modified, all with the aim of making the person interpret things differently, on one hand, and
different objectives and expectations are set, on the other hand.

These modifications have the power to create new habits and to eliminate those routines that are not useful or that generate discomfort.
In this way, it encourages the person to engage in contexts, initiatives, tasks with therapeutic potential, which they would not have been exposed to otherwise.
had preserved the old belief system.

You might be interested in: 'The descending arrow technique: what it is and how it is used in therapy'

4. Modeling techniques

Modeling is a type of technique in which an individual performs a behavior or interacts in a situation with the aim of having the patient observe and learn a
a concrete way of acting so that it is capable of imitating it. The aim is for the observer to modify their behavior and/or thinking and provide them with tools to
face certain situations.

There are different variants depending on whether the observer must replicate the behavior, whether the model has been dominant from the beginning in performing the desired behavior or has resources.
similar to the patient so that an approach to the objective is made, the number of people acting as a model or whether the modeling is done live
or through other means such as imagination or technology.

You might be interested in: 'Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory'

5. Stress inoculation
This technique is based on preparing the individual to face potential stressful situations. Its primary goal is to help the patient understand.
how stress can affect him and how he can cope with it, in order to later teach him different cognitive and behavioral techniques like the ones reflected here
and finally have them practice in controlled situations that allow for generalization to everyday life.

The goal is for the person to get used to facing stressful situations rationally, without being paralyzed by their emotions.

Thus, the inoculation of stress is a kind of psychological training that modifies our predispositions to react to stressful situations.
allowing us to adopt a more appropriate behavior pattern that does not lead us to fall into the self-fulfilling prophecy (in this case, into the stress caused by the anticipation of
stress).

6. Training in self-instructions

Created by Meichenbaum, self-instruction training is based on the role of these in behavior. It involves the instructions with which we guide
our own behavior indicating what and how we are going to do something, which are influenced by the expectations towards the results to be obtained or by our own effectiveness.

Certain issues such as low self-esteem or perception of self-efficacy can cause behavior to be negatively affected and unable to be carried out with
success and even avoid it. This technique aims to help the individual to be able to generate correct, realistic internal self-verbalizations that allow them to
carry out the actions you wish to take.

The process involves the therapist first modeling the action to be taken by stating the steps out loud. Subsequently, the patient will carry out
The action will be led based on the instructions that the therapist will recite. Next, the patient will be instructed to self-instruct out loud.
to then repeat the process in a low voice and finally through subvocalized, internalized speech.

This technique can be used on its own, although it is common to incorporate it as part of other therapies dedicated to the treatment of different disorders such as
depression or anxiety.

7. Training in problem solving

Problem-solving training is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy aimed at helping individuals cope with
certain situations that they are not able to solve by themselves.

In this type of technique, aspects such as focusing on the problem at hand, formulating the problem, and generating possible alternatives are worked on.
to solve it, the making of a decision regarding the most appropriate one and the verification of its results. In short, it is about knowing how to approach situations.
complicated in the most constructive way possible, without being carried away by fears and anxiety.

8. Operant techniques for behavior modification

Although of behavioral origin, this type of techniques is also part of the cognitive-behavioral repertoire. Through these types of techniques, the aim is to
fundamentally to provoke a modification in behavior through stimulation.

They allow both to motivate and contribute to learning new behaviors as well as to reduce or modify them through the application of reinforcements or punishments. Within the techniques
In operant conditioning, we can find shaping and chaining to enhance adaptive behaviors, differential reinforcement to reduce behaviors or
to replace them with others and the satiation, external time or overcorrection as a way to modify or extinguish behaviors.

9. Self-control techniques

The ability of self-management is a fundamental element that allows us to be autonomous and adapt to the environment around us, maintain our behavior and
stable thoughts despite the circumstances and/or being able to modify them when necessary. However, many people have difficulty in adjusting their
behavior, expectations or way of thinking about reality in an adaptive way, which can lead to different disorders.
Thus, self-control techniques are used to facilitate the learning of behavioral patterns in which impulsivity is subdued by consideration.
about the future consequences that certain actions may bring.

Conducting training that strengthens self-control skills, as achieved through Rehm's self-control therapy, can help to control
problems of diverse nature such as those produced in depressive and anxiety processes.

10. Relaxation and breathing techniques

Physical and mental activation is a key element when explaining issues such as anxiety and stress. The suffering it causes...
the presence of problems and difficulties can partly be reduced by relaxation techniques, learning from them to manage bodily sensations of
so that it can also help manage the mind.

Within this group, we find Jacobson's progressive relaxation, Schultz's autogenic training, or breathing techniques.

Advantages of cognitive-behavioral techniques

Cognitive-behavioral techniques have shown a very high level of effectiveness in the treatment of various psychological problems and disorders. Through them
It is possible to modify the patient's behavior and contribute to the acquisition of more adaptive life habits and behaviors, also working on and modifying oneself.
the cognitive base that induces original behaviors.

With this type of techniques, the mind and behavior are stimulated, resulting in a clear improvement in a large number of cases. Its level of effectiveness is such that nowadays it is
considered the treatment of choice for most mental disorders.

Another great advantage of this type of technique is its adherence to the scientific method, with cognitive-behavioral therapies, techniques, and treatments being validated at the level.
experimental.