Aim & Background
What is the name of the psychologist that created a classical conditioning study that experimented on dogs
Ivan Pavlov
What type of study was it?
A clinical case study
Name of the 2 interventions used
Positive reinforcement therapy and Image exposure therapy
What had decreased by the end of the first therapy intervention?
Fearful/negative behaviour and distress towards the stimuli
Generalization
Weakness-The sample is difficult to generalise from as the case is less likely to be representative of the general population
What is the aim of the study?
To understand the causes of a button phobia in a child and treat it using classical conditioning and disgust and fear responses.
How many participants were involved
1
What was the ‘Feelings Thermometer’?
a subjective 9-point scale for fear and disgust of 11 item and situations
What had increased by the end of the first therapy intervention?
Evaluative feelings of disgust and fear increased
Objectivity
Strength- Objective quantitative data collected show the improvements seen which was highly likely due to the treatment
What is a phobia?
The irrational, persistent fear of an object or event which poses little real danger but creates anxiety and avoidance in the sufferer.
How was data collected?
Using self report measures
What was rated 2 and 8 on the ‘Feelings Thermometer’?
2- large denim jean buttons
8- small clear plastic buttons
To what number rating on the fear/disgust hierarchy did the small plastic buttons decrease to at the end of the sessions?
From a rating of 8, the rating decrease to 3 by the end of the sessions
Demand characteristics
Weakness- There might have been demand characteristics shown as the boy was fully aware he was undergoing therapy; this might have affected the ratings he gave
What is classical conditioning?
Classical conditioning is learning process taught through association, where two stimuli are linked together to produce a new learned response in a person or animal.
What was used for diagnosis?
The DSM-IV (4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) was used to diagnose him with button phobia.
How was the boy rewarded in the first intervention used?
After being exposed to and completing each level on 11 stimuli hierarchy, the boy was rewarded with his mother’s affection.
What was discovered at a 6 and 12 month follow up after treatment?
-He did not meet the DSM-IV criteria for a specific phobia anymore
-He could wear clear plastic buttons on his school uniform shirt
Subjectivity (2)
Strength-Qualitative data collected was helpful in understanding the reasons underlying phobias
Weakness- The study is subjective as the boy created his own hierarchy of disgust/fear and gave personal ratings
Describe the steps of the classical conditioning study that experimented on dogs
1-Before consditiong, Pavlov presented an unconditioned stimulus (food) which produced an unconditioned response (salivation).
2-Before conditioning Pavlol also separately presented a neutral stimulus (ringing bell) which produced no response.
3-During conditioning, Pavlov simultaneously presented the neutral stimulus (ringing bell) and the unconditioned stimulus (food), which gave a unconditioned response (salivation).
4-After, the dogs were conditioned to salivate (conditioned response) to the ringing bell (conditioned stimulus).
Describe the sample (4)
A 9-year-old Hispanic American boy.
He started showing symptoms 5 years old when he knocked over a bowl of buttons in front of his class and teacher.
Sampled through the opportunity sampling
The boy and the mother gave informed consent to participate and publish the results
How was the In Vivo method used in the second intervention?
The boy was asked to imagine buttons falling on him, and consider how they looked, felt, and smelled. Exposures progressed from images of larger to smaller buttons, in line with the boys fear hierarchy.
What are the 2 conclusions of the study?
-Emotions and cognitions of disgust are important in the development and maintenance of a phobia
-Imagery exposure has a long-term effect on reducing distress relating to specific phobias by tackling negative evaluation
Validity (2)
Strength-The study is highly valid as the participant was studied over a period of time
Weakness-The case study involved building rapport with the participant, so researcher bias may take place