@article{ref1,
title="Believing is seeing: Changes in visual perception following treatment for height fear",
journal="Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry",
year="2018",
author="Dreyer-Oren, Sarah E. and Clerkin, Elise M. and Edwards, Cierra B. and Teachman, Bethany A. and Steinman, Shari A.",
volume="62",
number="",
pages="1-6",
abstract="BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: People who are afraid of heights may have a perceptual bias, such that they see heights as higher than they truly are. The current study tested if there is a causal relationship between treatments for height fear and changes in perceptual bias. <br><br>METHODS: Specifically, the effects on perceptual bias following three height fear interventions (exposure, cognitive bias modification for interpretations, and a combination of exposure and cognitive bias modification) and a control condition were examined in individuals with an extreme fear of heights (N = 107). <br><br>RESULTS: Results provided preliminary evidence that some height fear interventions reduce perceptual bias. Specifically, participants that completed exposure had a significant decrease in perceptual bias, and participants in the cognitive bias modification and combination conditions had decreases in perceptual bias at the level of non-significant trends, while no reduction occurred for the control condition. LIMITATIONS: Limitations of this study include that the hypothesis was largely informed by data from a parent study and that the effect sizes were small; thus, replicating these results is warranted. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that there may be a causal relationship between height fear treatments and altered perception of heights.<br><br>Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0005-7916",
doi="10.1016/j.jbtep.2018.08.001",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2018.08.001"
}