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.