Capafons et al (1998) - Contemporary Study

Question 1

What was the aim of Capafons study?

Answer 1

To see if systematic desensitisation (SD) is a successful therapy for fear of flying

Question 2

What type of sample was used in Capafons study?

Answer 2

Self selected sample obtained by advertising for volunteers with aviophobia (fear of flying) who would like to have free therapy to try and remove their phobia

Question 3

Who did the sample consist of in Capafons study?

Answer 3

41 volunteers with a fear of flying

Divided into a therapy and control group

Question 4

What was the IV and DV of Capafons study?

Answer 4

IV - whether the patient was currently receiving therapy or waiting for therapy

DV - success of therapy, measured by using sel-report scales, clinical interviewing and physical measurements

Question 5

How were the two groups in Capafons study balanced?

Answer 5

Balanced in terms of age, gender and strength of their fear

Question 6

How many participants were in each group in Capafons study?

Answer 6

20 patients in therapy group and would receive SD

21 patients in control group who were told they were on a waiting list to receive SD

Question 7

How were therapy sessions carried out in Capafons study?

Answer 7

Carried out at the University of La Laguna in Spain

Consisted of 2 one hour sessions a week over a period of eight weeks

Question 8

What was the first stage of therapy called in Capafons study?

Answer 8

Relaxation and imagination training

Question 9

What happened during the first stage of Capafons study?

Answer 9

patients interviewed by researchers at start of therapy

Fear of flying scale measuring levels of anxiety in different flying situations

Resting measures of heart rate, muscular tension and skin temperature taken before they were shown video of someone else taking a flight - measurements taken again

Another interview conducted explaining moving onto therapy or when they would be assessed again (control group)

Question 10

What were patients in the each group taught in Capafons study?

Answer 10

Therapy group taught how to use relaxation, imagination and breathing techniques to help with fear response

Control group simply experienced passage of time

Question 11

What happened during the second stage of therapy in Capafons study?

Answer 11

Patients asked to develop individual anxiety hierachies for fear of flying

Patient exposed to around 25-33 elements of hierarchy during therapy

Some elements presented using virtual reality and some ‘in vivo’

Each stage patients taught how to apply relaxation techniques to remain calm

Question 12

What happened during stage three of therapy in Capafons study?

Answer 12

Patients asked to take 2 simulated flights - first to take place in 7 days following treatment

Patient watched videotape of plane trip made from subjective perspective

Recordings of heart rate, palm temperature and muscular tension were obtained and comparisons made with original measurements

Question 13

What were the results of control group in Capafons study?

Answer 13

Before and after results of control group showed that just passing of time didn’t lead to significant changes in phobia

Question 14

What were the results of treatment group in Capafons study?

Answer 14

Significant change took place in self-report data, interview data and physical measures

e.g. mean score for fear during flight dropped from 25.6 to 13.25 after treatment

One area that didn’t show any improvement after treatment was skin temperature which elevated slightly from 0.00 to 1.01

Question 15

What did Capafons conclude?

Answer 15

Concluded the treatment group showed significant improvement in their fear compared with control group

Treatment doesn’t work for everyone all the time with two patients failing to respond to SD

Question 16

What are the strengths of Capafons study?

Answer 16

Internal validity

Scientific credibility

Objective measurements

Question 17

What are the weaknesses of Capafons study?

Answer 17

Generalisability

Long term effectiveness

Question 18

Why is internal validity a strength of Capafons study?

Answer 18

Control group carefully matched to treatment group in regards to gender, age etc.

Allowed researchers to assess any improvements in phobias because of therapy sessions or simply passage of time

Question 19

Why is scientific credibility a strength of Capafons study?

Answer 19

Wide range of measures obtained by researchers including interview data, self report and physical measures

Allowed concurrent validity of findings to be checked

Question 20

Why is objective measurements a strength of Capafons study?

Answer 20

Collection of both quantitative and qualitative data from research increases validity of findings

Data collected from interviews provided researchers with a detailed insight into the patients phobia whilst data collected from measures such as heart rate provided more objective measurements

Question 21

Why is generalisability a weakness of Capafons study?

Answer 21

Sample self selected

Patients who volunteered may have been individuals more likely to respond positively to therapy than others with the phobia who didn’t respond

Generalisability to findings is limited to the success of SD with patients who have a fear of flying and who have volunteered for therapy

Question 22

Why is effectiveness a weakness of Capafons study?

Answer 22

Further research would be required to establish long term effectiveness of SD as a treatment for fear of flying

Measures were taken shortly after therapy sessions and it may be possible that effects are short lived and may fade over time