Validating smartphone app based delivery of a fear conditioning paradigm

Kirstin Purves; Elena Constantinou; Thomas James McGregor; Kathryn J. Lester; Tom Joseph Barry; Michael Treanor; Michael Sun; Jürgen Margraf; Michelle G. Craske; Gerome Daniel Breen; Thalia Catherine Eley

Validating smartphone app based delivery of a fear conditioning paradigm

Kirstin Purves, Elena Constantinou, Thomas James McGregor, Kathryn J. Lester, Tom Joseph Barry, Michael Treanor, Michael Sun, Jürgen Margraf, Michelle G. Craske, Gerome Daniel Breen, Thalia Catherine Eley

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Fear conditioning models key processes related to the development, maintenance and treatment of anxiety disorders and is associated with group differences in anxiety. However, laboratory administration of tasks is time and cost intensive, precluding assessment in large samples, necessary for analysis of individual differences. This study introduces a newly developed smartphone app that delivers a fear conditioning paradigm remotely. Three groups of participants (total n=152) took part in three studies involving a differential fear conditioning experiment to assess the reliability and validity of a smartphone administered fear conditioning paradigm. This comprised of fear acquisition, generalisation, extinction, and renewal phases. We show that smartphone app delivery of a fear conditioning paradigm results in a pattern of fear learning comparable to traditional laboratory delivery and is able to detect individual differences in performance that show comparable associations with anxiety to the prior group differences literature.

Original language	English
Journal	Behaviour Research and Therapy
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 9 Sept 2019

Keywords

Anxiety
Conditioned Fear
Smartphone application
Methodology
psychometrics

Cite this

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title = "Validating smartphone app based delivery of a fear conditioning paradigm",

abstract = "Fear conditioning models key processes related to the development, maintenance and treatment of anxiety disorders and is associated with group differences in anxiety. However, laboratory administration of tasks is time and cost intensive, precluding assessment in large samples, necessary for analysis of individual differences. This study introduces a newly developed smartphone app that delivers a fear conditioning paradigm remotely. Three groups of participants (total n=152) took part in three studies involving a differential fear conditioning experiment to assess the reliability and validity of a smartphone administered fear conditioning paradigm. This comprised of fear acquisition, generalisation, extinction, and renewal phases. We show that smartphone app delivery of a fear conditioning paradigm results in a pattern of fear learning comparable to traditional laboratory delivery and is able to detect individual differences in performance that show comparable associations with anxiety to the prior group differences literature. ",

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language = "English",

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T1 - Validating smartphone app based delivery of a fear conditioning paradigm

AU - Purves, Kirstin

AU - Constantinou, Elena

AU - McGregor, Thomas James

AU - Lester, Kathryn J.

AU - Barry, Tom Joseph

AU - Treanor, Michael

AU - Sun, Michael

AU - Margraf, Jürgen

AU - Craske, Michelle G.

AU - Breen, Gerome Daniel

AU - Eley, Thalia Catherine

PY - 2019/9/9

Y1 - 2019/9/9

N2 - Fear conditioning models key processes related to the development, maintenance and treatment of anxiety disorders and is associated with group differences in anxiety. However, laboratory administration of tasks is time and cost intensive, precluding assessment in large samples, necessary for analysis of individual differences. This study introduces a newly developed smartphone app that delivers a fear conditioning paradigm remotely. Three groups of participants (total n=152) took part in three studies involving a differential fear conditioning experiment to assess the reliability and validity of a smartphone administered fear conditioning paradigm. This comprised of fear acquisition, generalisation, extinction, and renewal phases. We show that smartphone app delivery of a fear conditioning paradigm results in a pattern of fear learning comparable to traditional laboratory delivery and is able to detect individual differences in performance that show comparable associations with anxiety to the prior group differences literature.

AB - Fear conditioning models key processes related to the development, maintenance and treatment of anxiety disorders and is associated with group differences in anxiety. However, laboratory administration of tasks is time and cost intensive, precluding assessment in large samples, necessary for analysis of individual differences. This study introduces a newly developed smartphone app that delivers a fear conditioning paradigm remotely. Three groups of participants (total n=152) took part in three studies involving a differential fear conditioning experiment to assess the reliability and validity of a smartphone administered fear conditioning paradigm. This comprised of fear acquisition, generalisation, extinction, and renewal phases. We show that smartphone app delivery of a fear conditioning paradigm results in a pattern of fear learning comparable to traditional laboratory delivery and is able to detect individual differences in performance that show comparable associations with anxiety to the prior group differences literature.

KW - Anxiety

KW - Conditioned Fear

KW - Smartphone application

KW - Methodology

KW - psychometrics

UR - http://10.31234/osf.io/r9qtj

M3 - Article

SN - 0005-7967

JO - Behaviour Research and Therapy

JF - Behaviour Research and Therapy

ER -

Validating smartphone app based delivery of a fear conditioning paradigm

Abstract

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