saavedra and silverman (button phobia) Flashcards
what was the aim of the study?
to investigate the role of classical conditioning in the development and treatment of a specific phobia (button phobia)using exposure therapy with cognitive restructuring
what is classical conditioning?
it occurs when a neutral stimulus (e.g. buttons) becomes associated with fear or disgust through paired experiences
what is a phobia?
an intense, irrational fear of and object or situation that leads to avoidant behavior
what is exposure therapy?
a treatment where a person faces their fear to reduce their anxiety exposure
what research method was used?
a case study
what experimental design was used?
repeated measures with 1 participant
who was the participant in the study?
an 8 year old, Hispanic-American boy
diagnosed with button phobia after a traumatic experience at schol
what caused his phobia?
at 5 years old he dropped a bowl of buttons in front of his class causing distress and embarrassment
name and explain the steps in the treatment process (5)
- fear hierarchy creation: the boy rated different types of buttons on a distress scale
0 - 8 scale, called the “feelings thermometer” - exposure therapy: gradually exposing to buttons in increasing intensity
- cognitive reconstructing: encouraged to rethink his fear of buttons
- imagery exposure therapy: he imagined buttons touching his body and how it made him feel
- post-treatment assessment: fear levels were measured after therapy to check for improvement
what was the highest-rated fear on the distress scale?
small clear plastic buttons (8/8)
what was the lowest-rated team?
large denim buttons (2/8)
how did exposure therapy work in this case?
the boy was exposed to real-life buttons, starting from least feared to most feared
what was his initial response to therapy?
his fear ratings increased due to exposure to, a common effect in phobia treatments
what were the results after therapy?
his distress score dropped from 8/8 to 3/8
he stopped avoiding buttons in real life
what was concluded from the study? (3)
phobias can be treated using exposure therapy and cognitive reconstructing
disgust plays a key role in maintaining phobias
imagery exposure therapy. reduces disgust and fear responses
name two strengths of the study
case study: very in depth data collection, deep analysis of phobia treatment
treatment was successful: provided evidence that exposure therapy works, even for young children
name two weaknesses of the study
case study: low generalizability
reliability: researcher bias could’ve been present, the self-reporting may not be as reliable
was the study ethical?
yes it was
informed consent was presented to the parents
minimal psychological harm was done to the boy as the exposure was conducted gradually
where could the results be applied - real world?
it helps therapists treat phobias better as its been proven that exposure therapy works in treating phobias
improvements in treatment strategies as the study showed that disgust plays a main role in reinforcing phobias
