Assessment and Evaluation of Phobias - Case Study Example

?Question The common idea involved in the three studies is highly relevant to the treatment of three different phobias of the three participants 4 to 14 years of age, and all were boys. The common strategy used in the actual treatment involves actual exposure of the subjects to their fear. However, two of the three studies (Friman, 1999; Nock, 2002), were highly evaluative in context considering that there were actual assessment of the effectiveness of the employed methods for the treatment of phobias. The other study purely concerns about the documentation of result and presentation of theoretical concepts for expounding the whole subject matter involved in the research study (Saavedra & Silverman, 2002). In general, the three studies explored the idea of human phobia and its associated treatments. At some point, these studies also presented the relevant concepts on how we could better understand this human behaviour. Psychological concepts were integrated into the three studies, allowing us to understand the idea that the associated research studies were trying to present us some relevant concepts of human behaviour. For this matter, we can clearly define that the major consideration in these three studies is the actual exploration of human behaviour with the integration of psychological concepts associated with human phobias. Question 2 Suppose we use DSM-IV TR to classify the disorder involved for the individual studies we can possibly come up with information like as follows. For disgust/button phobia, Axis I, major mental disorders, developmental disorders and learning disabilities would be used to classify the problem. The reason is that the real condition associated with button phobia may imply mental check up, as in the first place, it is not a normal behavioural condition. Healthy mental condition leads to normal behaviours. Secondly, another axis relevant to classify the problem would be Axis II, underlying pervasive or personality conditions, as well as mental retardation. The major justification is again in line with the healthy mental functioning of the subject. For the rest of the two studies, the same Axes stated above may quite work for them too. These studies, food phobia and insect phobia, are also in line with behavioural concerns, which the bottom line involves the necessity to check up mental health conditions of the subjects. These even simply would require understanding of their personality, which at the bottom line would pave the way for understanding the root cause of the problem based on their substantial experiences from the past prior to acquiring the phobias they are experiencing at present. Question 3 As to how everything started for the participants to acquire specific phobias, there was no thorough discussion for that matter. However, it is clear that their fears started when they were a little younger and when there were relevant incidents linked to their current behavioural condition, like why they developed fear on certain objects at present. For this matter, it can be deduced that the individual children involved in the studies were similar concerning how their problem started. The clear point why they developed phobias is because there were associated incidents that brought them undesirable experience when they were exposed to objects that are currently the source of their fear and anxiety. Remarkably, this is the basic pattern that we can substantially deduce based on the information presented in every study. In other words, the environment may significantly play a critical role for the development of the human behaviour, because the subjects were actually exposed to the environment the moment they started to associate negative things with certain objects of their fear. Furthermore, this idea could bring us to understanding the complex human behavioural pattern in line with learning and other relevant cognitive concerns in psychology. Question 4 Other environments are possible aside from the therapist/child situation. This may include the parent/child situation. In this environment, a parent may play a critical role to implement what the experts might want to promote as an extension of the actual therapy right at home. It is important that parents will have to collaborate with the experts on the treatment process because they are most of the time together with the subject, and so there would be ample amount of time to engage with their child. Other environment may also include relative/child situation. At this point, those who might be closer by relation to the child should be encouraged to take things with all understanding. It could help in the actual treatment process if they will have an open mind about the subject. This would eventually create a genuine promotion or encouraging gesture for the fast recovery of the child. In the first place, the act of understanding on the part of the relatives would help ensure doing things that would lead to the beneficial advantage of the child who suffers the anxiety disorder. On the other hand, aside from these environments, those people who might have known the child quite well are also encouraged to participate in the treatment process by knowing how to respond well of the actual situation. Question 5 One of the similarities we could see from the actual research methodology used in the studies and that of the one introduced by Chorpita, Vitali and Barlow (1997) is the actual evidence of using exposure-based techniques. This is remarkably part of the behavioural modification technique, as we know it. With this, the researchers will generate a remarkable idea whether or not the treatment is having an effect. This similarity is the actual inclusion of the required treatment process, by which the subjects were exposed to their actual object of fears. This is clearly a form of behavioural modification technique, as we know it, because the bottom line of it is to emancipate behavioural change within the subject right after the entire treatment process. The other similarity involves the presence of the experimental nature of the treatment process. The entire activity even though the bottom line is to emancipate treatment and behavioural modification remains a relevant essence of experimental activity. This is a common point we could see from the two research methodologies we find from the three studies and the one describes by Chorpita, Vitali and Barlow (1997). All of them are integral components of the actual behavioural modification process involved in the treatment of related anxiety disorders. Question 6 The essential purpose of the hierarchy is to assess the level of fear of the boy towards varying sizes of the buttons. It appeared based on the boy’s subjective rating of distress that the most problematic are those small, clear, plastic buttons found in button-sewn shirts. The first two stimuli are ranked differently regarding their potential in causing the boy discomfort, like large denim jeans buttons and small denim jean buttons. This might be the case specifically because these buttons were not the actual sizes that started the boy’s anxiety disorder, if we based it on the subject’s traumatic experience with buttons at his early age. Based on the disgust/fear hierarchy, the researcher will generate a substantial idea of the actual sizes of buttons that would trigger the boy’s anxiety. If we based it on our standard, we might be able to conclude that it would make sense to have fear on large buttons compared to the small ones. However, this clearly was not the case of the subject presented by Saavedra and Silverman study (2002). Due to their disgust/fear hierarchy research methodology, we noticed that the size of the buttons really indeed matters, but it was the other way around contrary to common normal people would think. Question 7 In evaluative learning, the power of associating something to something else is very important for us to like, dislike, hate or fear an object, person and so on. In other words, this could explain how we might be able to like or dislike something through an association. This case might go beyond our knowledge of the beauty associated with exposure therapy, where we need to expose the subject to their actual fears and so that shortly their actual level of anxiety would decline. However, such is not usually the case because exposure alone is not helpful. Classical conditioning may be helpful, but the real problem is within the mind of the subjects. As far as treatment of their anxiety is concerned, they need to create a better picture of something they might have strongly feared and this one could come by associating something they hate most with something desirable. This might actually make sense if we come to think of behavioural modification. Just as exposure to the real thing that causes distress may modify behaviour successfully, the power of association may also work best as essentially promised by evaluative learning based on its definition. Thus, evaluative learning may stand as forming a powerful point beyond behavioural aspect, but deeply within the subconscious or cognitive level. Question 8 Databases for human behaviour and social sciences of our university library have the publication available for full-text download similar to the Jones and Friman (1999) article. These databases have available studies for download and a substantial number of them have subjects pertaining to psychology and human behaviour. This significantly involves even the point that would help us understand more about the human behaviour modification and treatment of other related psychological disorders. Treatment of phobias is one. There are studies concerning how phobias are treated that by being able to know them will lead us to a far deeper understanding of the other relevant human anxiety disorders. These databases of our university library are helpful in supplementing us with the appropriate information of understanding human behaviour and even some minor and detailed aspects of it. This particularly involves our specific concern to understand anxiety disorders like phobia, as to how we can generate the best process, procedure or methodology for its treatment. Studies involving phobia and its experimental treatment are available for download in many databases from various academic institutions because these create great interest among experts in this field. Primarily, we can find various studies including these three considered on the work at hand, as remarkable proofs that behavioural assessments have their place in the body of knowledge. Question 9 In the case of disgust/phobia study, the authors suggest that future studies of phobia should study whether disgust plays a predominant role. Furthermore, they also recommend conducting a controlled-group study to ensure effective manipulation and successful implementation of evaluative learning at some point. The study of food phobia on the other hand promotes the idea of the effectiveness of therapist and parent modelling, graduated exposure, contingency management in phobia treatment and other relevant behavioural modification activities. In other words, the study presents us a point of view of the beneficial treatment methodologies for anxiety-related disorders. The study of insect phobia on the other hand, promotes the point that exposure alone could not guarantee behavioural modification but it should be well combined with contingent rewards. This shows us the point that we need further more exploration on how to guarantee effective exposure by initiating other strategies. In general, the three studies are contributions to the body of knowledge, giving us the idea that a one methodological concept of behavioural modification may not be enough, but it would require more modifications and even additional confirmations with further studies and research investigations. This therefore means they remain inconclusive at some point, but with various studies helping to justify them would make them strengthened their case. Question 10 Perhaps the study that would imply initiating behavioural modification only with experts like psychologists or therapists is the “button phobia.” This is due to the point that it highly involves more technical knowledge of the human behaviour and even deeper level of understanding of the actual research process relevant to understanding the human behaviour. The rest of the two studies may require cooperative effort from the non-experts, at some point or certain level. However, studying human behaviour essentially would require experts in this field. Otherwise, if one is not specifically schooled in such therapeutic measures relevant to behavioural modification requiring cooperative effort for instance, precautionary measures are necessary. First, they always have to coordinate with experts on what to do. This simply means being able to grasp the whole concept or idea associated with the actual treatment process. This would also mean being able to achieve collaborate effort that will lead to the very essential objective in the end. Second, non-experts should always ask for approval from the experts on how they should implement everything. The non-experts should understand that their actual moves may significantly contribute to the likelihood of influencing the actual results, which may at some point lead to a wrong output. References Jones, K. M., & Friman, P. C. (1999). A case study of behavioural assessment and treatment of insect phobia. 32, 95-98. Nock, M. K. (2002). A multiple-baseline evaluation of the treatment of food phobia in a young boy. 33, 217-225. Saavedra, L. M., & Silverman, W. K. (2002). Case study: Disgust and a specific phobia of buttons. 41(11), 1376-1379. Read More