Question

ernesto is a public speaking instructor who recommends that his students gradually visualize and then engage in increasingly more frightening speaking events before actually delivering a speech. what anxiety-management method is ernesto teaching? relaxation exercises cognitive restructuring systematic desensitization visualization

Explanation:

Relaxation exercises focus on physical relaxation (e.g., deep breathing) to reduce anxiety, not gradual exposure. Cognitive restructuring involves changing negative thoughts. Visualization is part of systematic desensitization but not the full method. Systematic desensitization involves gradually exposing a person to feared stimuli (here, increasingly frightening speaking events via visualization then actual engagement) to reduce anxiety, matching Ernesto’s method.

Answer:

C. Systematic desensitization