Capafons et al - contemporary study

Question 1

what was the aim of capafons et al?

Answer 1

to assess the effectiveness of systematic desensitisation in the treatment of fear of flying

Question 2

what was the sample of capafons et al?

Answer 2

• volunteer sampling from media campaign
• 41 participants = 20 treatment group + 21 control group ( received treatment after study was finished)

Question 3

what was the method of capafons et al?

Answer 3

1. pre treatment;
   physiological measurements taken when sat 1.8m from TV displaying flight simulation (heart rate and muscle tension)
   + all answered anxiety questionnaires, such as the IDG-FV
2. Treatment;
   12-15 one hour sessions in which participants created their own hierarchy and exposed to these fears using a ix of videos, imagined senarios, and real situations

ppts taught breathing exercises + progressive muscle relaxation + visualisation techniques to relax

3. post-treatment;
   after 7 days all ppts took an outbound flight and had their fear assessed in the same way

Question 4

what where the findings of capafons et al?

Answer 4

90% success rate in reducing fear of flying

control group showed no improvement in their fear of flying

Question 5

what where the conclusions of capafons et al?

Answer 5

• systematic desensitisation was effective in reducing fear of fling
• however improvement was not universal, as some ppt did not respond well
• treatment group showed significantly lower levels of fear than control group

Question 6

what is the G for capafons et al?

Answer 6

• low generalisability
• all ppts from spain = ethnocentric
• results may not be representative of a larger population

(however, males and females and a large age range was used)

Weakness:

All participants were volunteers who responded to adverts, meaning they might have been more motivated or open to treatment than the general population. This introduces volunteer bias, limiting generalisability to all phobic individuals.

Question 7

what was the R of what where the conclusions of capafons et al??

Answer 7

• high reliability
  -study used standardises procedures = used the sae questionnaires + physiological measurements
• can be replicated to check for test-retest reliability

Question 8

what is the A of capafons et al?

Answer 8

• application to real world
• shows that systematic desensitiation is effective in treating fear of flying
• can be applied in a clinical setting to overcome specific phobias safely

Question 9

what is the V of capafons et al?

Answer 9

• high internal validity
• physiological measurements taken
• measurements are objective

High ecological validity: The treatment involved a real flight as the final stage, which is a realistic test of fear.

Question 10

what is the E of capafons et al?

Answer 10

Ethical guidelines were followed: informed consent, right to withdraw, and the procedure was non-harmful.

Participants were fully debriefed and the control group was offered treatment afterwards.