Capafons - contemporary study Flashcards
what is systematic desensitisation a treatment for
phobias
what was Capafons et al. a study of?
whether systematic desensitisation could reduce someones fear of flying
participants in capafons
41
mean age of experimental group - 29.7
mean age of control group - 34.1
aims of capafons
to see whether fear of flying reduced spontaneously without treatment
to assess the effectiveness of the SD in the treatment of fear of flying
to demonstrate that SD remains comparable in effectiveness with newer therapies
what year was Capafons et al. study?
1998
why did Capafons believe systematic desensitisation for fear of flyingwould work before they caried out the experiment
SD offers an element of control over the simulation which flooding does not
people can travel in airplanes and still have the fear - so flooding didn’t work
what happened in the experimental group
received SD treatment
what happened in the control group
no SD treatment
independent variable of Capafons
treatment vs no treatment
dependant variable of Capafons
fear of flying
how was the dependant variable of capafons measured
done on 2 separate occasions
measured using fear of flying scale and the scales of expectations of danger and anxiety.
physiological measurement
-recording muscle tension & heart rate in response to videotape of flying
how many hours of treatment did the experimental group get?
12 - 15 one hour sessions
what techniques were participants taught to aid relaxation
breathing techniques
muscle relaxation
visualisation techniques
how were participants exposed to the experience of flying
imagination
videos
a real flying situation - at the end of the programme
what did participants create with a minimal increase of anxiety between the elements
their own anxiety heirarchy
how were the physiological measurements taken?
whilst sat 1.8 meters away from a screen and showing a film of flight
what were the results of the control group
no significant differences on any of the measures of anxiety between the first and second assessment
results of the experimental group
high reductions in reported anxiety
and all physiological measures except body temperature
90% had a significant reduction in symptoms
conclusion from Capafons
success rate of 90%
no evidence of spontaneous recovery without any treatment
SD is a highly effective treatment for fear of flying
SD isn’t infalliable - 10% didn’t improve
Strengths of Capafons
objective measures used
using a baseline for comparison
statistical findings
extraneous variables were controlled
practical benefits to the study
weaknesses of Capafons
low generalisability - cannot be generalised to other phobias
validity of self-report measures - demand characteristics
ethical issues - control group weren’t receiving treatment, however they were placed on a waiting list
