LEARNING THEORIES Capafon's

Question 1

aim

Answer 1

to see if systematic desensitisation is successful therapy for fear of flying

Question 2

sample

Answer 2

• volunteers with aviophobia
• 41people, 21 = control, 20 = therapy
• groups balanced in terms of age, gender, and strength of fear

Question 3

procedure

Answer 3

• carried out at uni of La Launa (Spain)
• consisted of 2 one-hour sessions per week for 8 weeks
  three phases
• relaxation and imagination training = interviewed at start, used fear of flying scale and measures taken of RHR, muscular tension, and skin temperature
  showed video of someone flying then measured again
• development of anxiety hierarchy = 25-33 elements during therapy exposed, presented using VR and in vivo, each stage taught how to apply relaxation techniques to remain calm
• application of the therapy = 2 stimulated flights, first flight takes place 7 days following treatments, watched video from a subjective perspective, recorded HR, palm temp and muscular tension

Question 4

results

Answer 4

• control group - no significant changes of phobia
• for therapy group - mean score of fear dropped from 25.6 to 13.25, skin temp increased from 0.99 to 1.01
• 10% did not show difference

Question 5

conclusion

Answer 5

• treatment group showed significant improvement
• treatment does not work for everyone all the time
• therapy was very gradual

Question 6

positive A03 points

Answer 6

• matched control group - reduced extraneous variables - increase internal validity
• concurrent validity - more credible
• ethical - control group given therapy later

Question 7

negative A03 points

Answer 7

• reduced population validity - volunteer - only one type of person who are willing to open up and go to therapy
• subjective - involved imagining the situation (in vitro)
• ethical - don’t know LT effects of SD, may be short lived so results can’t be used