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Computer-Delivered Behavioural Avoidance Tests for Spider Phobia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2012

Charles Teng Tat Meng
Affiliation:
University of Tasmania, Australia.
Kenneth C. Kirkby*
Affiliation:
University of Tasmania, Australia.
Frances Martin
Affiliation:
University of Tasmania, Australia.
Lisa J. Gilroy
Affiliation:
University of Tasmania, Australia.
Brett A. Daniels
Affiliation:
University of Tasmania, Australia.
*
Address for correspondence: Professor Kenneth C. Kirkby, Discipline of Psychiatry, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252-27, Hobart 7001 TAS, Australia. E-mail: Ken.Kirkby@utas.edu.au
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Abstract

Behavioural avoidance tests (BATs) are a cornerstone of objective assessment of phobias. However, live BATs have several disadvantages. They are practically difficult and time-consuming to set up and are not standardised. This study examined two computer-delivered BATs (using slide and video presentations of phobic stimuli respectively): first, in respect to their ability to discriminate fearfuls from nonfearfuls, and second, in terms of convergent validity with a live BAT and the Spider Phobia Questionnaire (SPQ). Sixty-four low (n = 32) and high (n = 32) spider-fearful undergraduate participants were administered the three BATs in counterbalanced order. Results showed that subjective anxiety on all BATs was highly discriminative of low and high spider-fearfuls. The number of steps completed did not discriminate between phobics and nonphobics on the computer BATs. However, there was good convergent validity between the live BAT, the SPQ and both computer-delivered BATs on subjective anxiety. Overall, the live BAT gives a clearer indication of avoidance behaviour while the video BAT assesses subjective anxiety across a wider range of steps. The development of computer-delivered BATs that reliably measure avoidance is necessary before contemplating them as an alternative to a live BAT.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2004

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