Background
Who is the participant in the study?
9 y.o Hispanic-American boy
What research method was used for this study?
Case study
Who was a famous figure who might have suffered from koumpounophobia?
Steve Jobs
Why can't this study be generalizable?
Because it's specific to one individual
Because the treatment may only work for button phobia.
What is claustrophobia?
Fear of confined spaces
How long had the boy been struggling with his phobia?
4 years
What therapy helped to eliminate his disgust for buttons?
Imagery exposure therapy
What are the least distressing types of buttons for the boy?
large denim buttons
How can fully informed consent affect the results of a study?
Through demand characteristics.
Since he knows the true aim of experiment, may change his responses.
What is bibliophobia?
Fear of books
The Saavedra and Silverman study took place at:
FIU
(in the Child Anxiety and Phobia program)
For sessions 1-4, what was the duration of each session?
20-30 minutes
What kind of button causes the most amount of stress (an 8 on the scale)?
Small, plastic buttons (clear and colored).
How did they ensure that their treatments had long-term effects?
They had 6 and 12 month check ups
What is acrophobia?
Fear of heights
Explain the onset of the boy's button phobia.
In kindergarten when he dropped the box of buttons during art time.
During imagery exposure therapy, what were the 3 things the boy was asked to describe when imagining buttons falling on him?
How they looked, smelled, and felt.
What was used to create the hierarchy of fear/disgust?
The Feelings Thermometer (scale of 0-8)
How can this study be applicable to everyday life?
We can use imagery exposure therapy to treat disgust.
We know we must not only treat fear, but disgust as well.
What is nomophobia?
Fear of being without your phone
What was one psychology being investigated in this study?
Classical Conditioning
Evaluative Learning
Imagery Exposure Therapy
Positive Reinforcement Therapy
What were the distress ratings in the beginning, middle, and end of the Imagery Exposure Therapy sessions?
8, 5, 3
In the DSM, what would koumpounophobia (button phobia) fall under?
Specific Phobia
Explain how nature AND nurture were supported in this study.
Nature - through evolution, ancestry, innate fears due to sense of danger
Nurture - phobias can be created through an experience in your environment
What is cacophobia?
Fear of ugliness