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Saavedra and Silverman Questions and Answers 2023
1. Full Name: Case Study: Disgust and a Specific Phobia of Buttons
2.Author(s) and Name: Saavedra,
Silverman 2002
3. Psychological perspective: Cognitive
4.Background to the study: The role of disgust with phobias has received
little attention. Disgust could interact with the fea a phobic stimulus
produces to increase avoidance behavior of that stimulus. During
something called evaluative learning, the person perceives or evaluates
a previously neutral object or event in a negative way. Prior to the study,
there have been very few studies into evaluative learning in children
with a specific phobia. Evaluative learning is a form of classical condition
where a person perceives a neutral object in a negative way. The
individual negatively evaluates the object or event without anticipating
threat or danger, therefore eliciting a feeling of disgust rather than fear.
5. Aim: — To investigate the causes of a button phobia in a child.
— To treat a child's phobia of buttons via targeting both disgust and fear
response.
6.Research method used: Case Study, opportunity sample (part of
phobia group)
Observations, survey (likert scale)
7. Advantages: · provides detailed info
·provides insight for further research
·less costly and not time consuming
·both types of data
8. Disadvantages: · difficult to replicate
·not generalizable
·could have researcher bias
9.IV and DV: IV: none
DV: none
10. Sample: 9 year
old Hispanic-
American boy at
specific phobia
program at FIU
11. Procedure: ·
Informed
consent from
child and parent
was given to
participate.
·He met DSM-IV
criteria for specific
phobia of buttons
·Therapy:
—Boy devised a disgust and fear hierarchy using a distress rating of
0-8 via a feelings thermometer. 2 for large denim jean buttons, 8 for
small plastic buttons (colored and clear)
—Child treated with exposure-based treatment to target cognitions
and behavior.
