Saavedra et al Button phobia

• What is the aim of the study on button phobia?

  To understand the causes of button phobia (koumpounophobia) in a child.
• How is a child's phobia of buttons treated in this study?

  By using disgust and fear responses.
• Who investigated classical conditioning?

  Ivan Pavlov.
• What is classical conditioning?

  Learning through association of two stimuli.
• What do some psychologists believe about phobias?

  They can be learned and unlearned like other behaviors.
• What is evaluative learning?

  A type of classical conditioning where a neutral stimulus is associated with a negative emotion.
• What did Hepburn and Page (1999) find in their study of adults with blood phobia?

  Treating patients' disgust and fear helped them make progress.
• What type of research method was used in this study?

  A case study involving one participant.
• How was data collected in the study?

  Using self-report measures through interviews.
• Who was the participant in the study?

  A 9-year-old Hispanic American boy.
• What event triggered the boy's phobia of buttons?

  Knocking over a bowl of buttons in front of his class and teacher.
• What sampling technique was used in this study?

  Opportunity sampling.
• What consent was obtained for the study?

  Informed consent from the boy and his mother.
• What diagnostic manual was used to diagnose the boy's phobia?

  The DSM-IV.
• How was the treatment's effectiveness measured?

  Using a 9-point scale of disgust known as the 'Feelings thermometer'.
• What was the structure of the exposure-based treatment program?

  It tackled cognition and behaviors using a hierarchy of disgust and fear.
• What was the highest distress rating in the boy's fear hierarchy?

  8 for 'small clear plastic buttons'.
• What were the two interventions used in the study?

  Positive Reinforcement Therapy and Imagery Exposure.
• What is Positive Reinforcement Therapy based on?

  Operant conditioning principles.
• How did the mother contribute to the Positive Reinforcement Therapy?

  By providing positive reinforcement for the boy's progress.
• What was the focus of Imagery Exposure Therapy?

  Using disgust imagery exercises based on classical conditioning.
• How did the boy's distress ratings change during Imagery Exposure Therapy?

  They decreased from 8 to 3 by the end of the session.
• What were the follow-up results after treatment?

  The boy did not meet the DSM-IV criteria for a specific phobia anymore.
• What is the conclusion regarding emotions and cognitions in phobias?


  They are important in the development and maintenance of a phobia.
• What long-term effect does imagery exposure have on phobias?

  It reduces distress related to specific phobias.
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the study on button phobia?

  Strengths:

  • Highly valid due to long-term study.
  • Standardized measures like the Feelings Thermometer used.
  • Quantitative data showed treatment improvements.
  • Qualitative data helped understand phobia reasons.
  • Successfully eliminated the phobia.

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Difficult to generalize from a single case.
  • Subjective ratings from the boy's hierarchy.
  • Potential researcher bias due to rapport building.
  • Demand characteristics may have affected ratings.
• How does the study apply to real life?

  • Demonstrates therapy based on classical conditioning can treat phobias.
  • Shows long-term improvement from exposure therapies.
• What does classical conditioning suggest about phobias?

  • Phobias are products of negative experiences.
  • They are not innate but learned through association.
• What ethical considerations were taken in the study involving children?

  • Informed consent was obtained from the boy and mother.
  • Researchers aimed to improve the boy's quality of life despite temporary distress.