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Biomedical subjects

R O Frost

Publications and source records attributed to R O Frost.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

The Cognitive Bias Questionnaire: further evidence.

Provided further evidence for the validity of the Cognitive Bias Questionnaire (Krantz & Hammen, 1979) as a measure of depressive cognitions. Forty depressed students completed the Cognitive Bias Questionnaire as well as general measures of depression and measures of depressed mood. In addition, independent raters counted frequency of negative and positive self-statements generated during a tape recorded self-description, and rated Concurrent depressive tone, The results replicate previous findings of convergent and discriminant validity for the Cognitive Bias Questionnaire. Furthermore, depressed-distorted responses and nondepressed-nondistorted responses were significantly correlated with independently assessed depressive verbal behaviors.

Journal Article↗

The effects of viewing distance on fear of snakes.

Phobic subjects made magnitude estimations of the intensity of fear felt when viewing a snake at distances from 2.5 to 15.0 ft. Heart rate, skin conductance, and respiration were also measured throughout each 20 sec viewing period. A control group of nonphobic subjects made magnitude estimates of perceived nearness for the empty Plexiglas snake box at the same test distances. Judged fear was inversely proportional to distance. Thus, the fear-distance relation obeys Stevens' psychophysical power law with an exponent of -1.0. Examination of previous studies reporting such a finding revealed systematic departures from a power relation similar in form to the results of the perceived nearness control group, and to the expected outcome when category judgements of fear are made instead of magnitude estimates. The physiological measures varied in outcome. Measures of respiration showed no reliable effects. But heart rate and skin conductance decreased significantly for phobics as viewing distance increased.

Adolescent↗

Use of psychophysical scaling procedures in the assessment of phobias: a case example.

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.

Adolescent↗

Hoarding, compulsive buying and reasons for saving.

Two studies examined hypotheses about compulsive hoarding, compulsive buying and beliefs about saving and discarding derived from the cognitive-behavioral model of compulsive hoarding [Frost, R. O. and Hartl, T. (1996). A cognitive behavioral model of compulsive hoarding. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 34, 341-350.]. Study 1 examined the hypotheses in a college student population, while study 2 compared members of a support group for hoarding and clutter-related problems with a nonclinical control. Across studies the hypotheses were supported. Compulsive hoarding was associated with compulsive buying and the frequency of acquisition of possessions discarded by others, suggesting that compulsive acquisition may be a broader construct than compulsive buying among people with hoarding problems. Regarding its association with OCD symptoms, hoarding was most closely associated with the impaired mental control features of OCD. Finally, offa hoarding-related task, hoarding was associated with a greater frequency of reasons to save, but was not associated with fewer reasons to discard a target possession.

Adult↗

Beliefs in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Several types of beliefs have been hypothesized to be associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), including responsibility for harm, need to control thoughts, overestimates of threat, intolerance of uncertainty, and beliefs about the consequences of anxiety and capacity to cope. The present study compared 62 subjects with OCD, 45 with other anxiety disorders (AD) and 34 controls, using 3 measures of OCD-related beliefs. OCD subjects scored higher than AD and control samples on 2 general belief measures. A closer analysis of specific belief domains indicated that OCD subjects scored higher than AD and control subjects on all 6 specific belief domains (responsibility, control, estimation of threat, tolerance of uncertainty, beliefs about the consequences of anxiety, and the capacity to cope). Four of the 6 domains showed reasonable convergent and discriminant validity with measures of OCD symptoms compared to other psychopathology; anxiety and coping beliefs were the exceptions. In regression analyses, cognitive measures contributed significant explanatory power beyond mood state and worry with uncertainty predicting severity of OCD symptoms above all other belief domains. Further research on OCD-relevant belief domains in etiology, maintenance and treatment is warranted.

Adaptation, Psychological↗