The logic behind it isn't really that of flooding. You don't cross the threshold enough to truly flood the dog.
The reasoning for CAT is that the dog wants the stimuli to go away. Previously aggression has worked to that end. Here, we present the stimulus at the point where the dog will aggress and we wait. When the aggression doesn't serve to make the stimulus leave, the dog should begin to offer something else. We want that something else, and as soon as it's offered we reward the dog by removing the stimulus.
It absolutely is negative reinforcement. But also if the dog aggressed and the stimulus went away, the dog has been negatively reinforced for aggression. That's one of the ways aggression escalates.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_conditioning
The reasoning for CAT is that the dog wants the stimuli to go away. Previously aggression has worked to that end. Here, we present the stimulus at the point where the dog will aggress and we wait. When the aggression doesn't serve to make the stimulus leave, the dog should begin to offer something else. We want that something else, and as soon as it's offered we reward the dog by removing the stimulus.
It absolutely is negative reinforcement. But also if the dog aggressed and the stimulus went away, the dog has been negatively reinforced for aggression. That's one of the ways aggression escalates.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_conditioning
Exposure therapies
Exposure therapy involves systematically exposing individuals to a feared object or situation until the fear has been extinguished. Generally the therapy will involve the construction of a fear hierarchy of events that gradually escalate from least anxiety-evoking, to most anxiety evoking. Through the process of systematic exposure, the anxiety felt is lessened or eliminated. Various forms of exposure therapy has been shown to be effective for a variety of psychological diagnoses, including Specific Phobia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Systematic desensitization involves the utilization of exposure therapy, paired with relaxation techniques, such as diaphragmatic breathing.[citation needed]
Flooding similarly exposes the patient to a feared object or situation, but involves no hierarchy. Instead, the patient is exposed to their worst possible fear (within realistic safety limitations) and prevented from escaping the situation until the fear is eliminated. Evidence suggests that flooding is not the most effective form of exposure therapy.
Exposure therapy involves systematically exposing individuals to a feared object or situation until the fear has been extinguished. Generally the therapy will involve the construction of a fear hierarchy of events that gradually escalate from least anxiety-evoking, to most anxiety evoking. Through the process of systematic exposure, the anxiety felt is lessened or eliminated. Various forms of exposure therapy has been shown to be effective for a variety of psychological diagnoses, including Specific Phobia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Systematic desensitization involves the utilization of exposure therapy, paired with relaxation techniques, such as diaphragmatic breathing.[citation needed]
Flooding similarly exposes the patient to a feared object or situation, but involves no hierarchy. Instead, the patient is exposed to their worst possible fear (within realistic safety limitations) and prevented from escaping the situation until the fear is eliminated. Evidence suggests that flooding is not the most effective form of exposure therapy.