Validating the use of a smartphone app for remote administration of a fear conditioning paradigm

K. L. Purves; E. Constantinou; T. McGregor; K. J. Lester; T. J. Barry; M. Treanor; Michael Sun; J. Margraf; M. G. Craske; G. Breen; T. C. Eley

doi:10.1016/j.brat.2019.103475

Validating the use of a smartphone app for remote administration of a fear conditioning paradigm

K. L. Purves, E. Constantinou, T. McGregor, K. J. Lester, T. J. Barry, M. Treanor, Michael Sun, J. Margraf, M. G. Craske, G. Breen, T. C. Eley

Department of Psychology

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

24 Citations (SciVal)

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 samplesnecessary for the analysis of individual differences. This study introduces a newly developed smartphone app that delivers a fear conditioning paradigm remotely using a loud human scream as an aversive stimulus. 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 during which online US-expectancy ratings were collected during every trial with evaluative ratings of negative affect at three time points. 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
Article number	103475
Journal	Behaviour Research and Therapy
Volume	123
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2019.103475
Publication status	Published - 31 Dec 2019

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
K.L. Purves acknowledges funding from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and is part supported by the UK Medical Research Council ( MR/M021475/1 ). T.C. Eley is part funded by a program grant from the UK Medical Research Council ( MR/M021475/1 ). This study presents independent research part funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London . The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health.

Funding Information:
K.L. Purves acknowledges funding from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and is part supported by the UK Medical Research Council (MR/M021475/1). T.C. Eley is part funded by a program grant from the UK Medical Research Council (MR/M021475/1). This study presents independent research part funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health. Authors would like to thank Sarah Derveeuw, Bernadette De Villiers, George Bailey, Jenny Leng, Megan Hammond Bennett, Michela Clarke and Shivani Parikh for their assistance in data collection and processing.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Authors

Keywords

Anxiety
Computerized assessment
Conditioned fear
Methodology
Psychometrics
Smartphones

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Clinical Psychology
Psychiatry and Mental health

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Cite this

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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 samplesnecessary for the analysis of individual differences. This study introduces a newly developed smartphone app that delivers a fear conditioning paradigm remotely using a loud human scream as an aversive stimulus. 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 during which online US-expectancy ratings were collected during every trial with evaluative ratings of negative affect at three time points. 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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AU - Lester, K. J.

AU - Barry, T. J.

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AU - Sun, Michael

AU - Margraf, J.

AU - Craske, M. G.

AU - Breen, G.

AU - Eley, T. C.

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Validating the use of a smartphone app for remote administration of a fear conditioning paradigm

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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