Capafons (contemporary study)

• What was Capafons aim?

  See if systematic desensitisation is a successful therapy for fear of flying.
• What was Capafons sample?

  > Volunteer sample ( advertised for volunteers with aviophobia who would like free therapy)

  > 41 participants; 20 in therapy groups & 21 in control

  > University of La laguna, Spain
• What happened in phase 1 of Capafons study?

  Phase 1: Relaxation and imagination training

  • interviewed to establish fear
  • fear of flying scale
  • resting measures of heart rate before and after video of flight
  • second interview explained therapy
  • therapy group; taught relaxation, imagination & breathing techniques
• What happened in phase 2 of Capafons study?

  Phase 2: Development of anxiety hierarchy

  • developed individual anxiety hierarchies (25-33 elements)
  • work through each stage (real life/imagination) using relaxation techniques
• What happened in phase 3 of Capafons study?

  Phase 3: Application of the therapy

  • two simulated flights
  • first flight: 7 days after treatment
  • recorded heart rate & palm temperature
• What were Capafons results?

  > Signficant changes in therapy group compared to control

  > Mean score of fear during flight dropped from 25.6 to 13.25

  > Skin temperature elevated slightly from 0.99 to 1.01

  > 10% with fear of flying showed no significant changes
• What did Capafons conclude?

  > Therapy group showed significant change compared to control

  > SD does not work for everyone with two patients failing to sow a response
• What are the positives of Capafons study?

  > Quantative data - objective

  > Range of measures - reliability

  > Matched pairs -internal validity

  > Control got therapy
• What are the negatives of Capafons study?

  > Volunteer sample

  > Qualitative data - subjective

  > Small sample

  > Sample from Spain - generalisability

  > Flights were simulated - ecological validity