S4 - Evaluation of therapies

• Effectiveness of S.D


  • Mcgrath 75% effective in noise phobias treatment
  • Capafons - S.D helps fear of flying (fear decrease during 12-25 weeks of simulation)
  • Paul - cilents with S.D improved more than other therapies (evident 2 years later)
• Ethical issues of S.D

  • Psychological harm during in vivo and flooding
  • Expensive - in need of therapist and multiple (6-8) sessions
  • Consent - patients fully consent and are mentally component
• S.D comparsions

  • Not suitable for generalised phobias
  • Seligman - progammed via association, threatening stimuli equalling fear. Ancients fear (dangers in the past)
  • Bregman - fail to condition 8-16 month year old, fear response only learnt with living animals
  • Biologically prepardness - less likely to develop fear of modern objects (due to ancient fears)
• Symptoms or cause

  • Symptoms (the response not the underlying cause)
  • If remove symptoms: symptoms will project and resurface
  • Little hans: projected fear of father onto horses
  • Doesn’t exactly treat symptoms - supresses them
  • Short-term
• Types of S.D


  • Effectiveness depends on type of method
  • Choy - In vivo and vitro effectiveness differ depending on phobia
  • In Vitro (VR) - animal phobias
  • In Vivo - Social
  • High drop out of in vivo