title: Use of psychophysical scaling procedures in the assessment of phobias: a case example.
abstract: This paper reports on the utility of a psychophysical scaling procedure (magnitude estimation) for the measurement of treatment effectiveness among phobics. Pre- and post-treatment heart rate and magnitude estimates of fear in a snake phobic subject were examined. Magnitude estimates and heart rate both revealed treatment effects. The results suggest that magnitude estimates may be a more sensitive measure of fear. The usefulness of magnitude estimates as an assessment strategy is discussed.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal; D003887:Desensitization, Psychologic; D004215:Distance Perception; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D011601:Psychophysics; D012911:Snakes