The Daily Texan - University
Issue: 10/25/04
dailytexanonline.com
Study tries to quash fear of slithering snakes
By Leigh Hall
Hillary Perlman cringed as she opened the door and saw Spot inside the room. Spot, an 11-month-old African Ball python, shied away at the sight of Hillary.
"I've always been really afraid of snakes," said the human development and family sciences freshman.
Hillary and Spot are part of a study run by the Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorders. Diana Whitley, a psychology senior, is coordinating the study under Professor Michael Telch, director of the lab.
Whitley's study, which she took on as part of her undergraduate honors thesis, centers on reducing peoples' fear of snakes.
"Participants come in for an initial assessment and screening, which can take up to an hour," Whitley said. "They qualify for the study if we determine they are sufficiently phobic."
Participants are diagnosed with one of four phobic conditions, then they are asked to come back within a week for their first exposure.
After filling out a questionnaire, participants are asked to enter a room with a snake.
"During the treatment, participants pace themselves with how close they get to the snakes," Whitley said. "The experimenters don't force anything."
Saturday was Perlman's second encounter; She will return in two weeks for a final exposure to the snakes. The last exposure is to make sure the treatment sticks, Whitley said.
The lab has two snakes and four tarantulas. The second snake, Bob, is a 1-year-old.
"They are constrictor snakes; they have no teeth, so they unhinge their jaws and swallow their food whole," Whitley said. "We've never had any incidents with the animals harming anyone before."
Whitley has seen 24 participants since the experiment started in September. Ideally, 180 participants are needed to finish the study, he said.
"We're looking at different ways to vary exposure therapy," Whitley said. "We've seen a reduction in the phobia every time."
Perlman said she is more comfortable now with the snakes in the controlled setting. But, she said, "If I saw a snake in the wild, I'd still be as scared as before."
