Twelve individuals with clinically diagnosed arachnophobia participated in a six-week Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) programme. Throughout the study, participants' weekly self-reported spider-related panic episodes were recorded. At the end of the intervention, participants completed a Behavioural Avoidance Test (BAT), where they approached a sealed terrarium containing a live tarantula. Their subjective distress during this test was recorded on a Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) from 0 (completely calm) to 100 (extreme panic).
The final weekly panic episodes and corresponding SUDS scores for the 12 participants are shown in the table below.
| Participant | Weekly Panic Episodes | SUDS Score |
|---|---|---|
| A | 8 | 85 |
| B | 6 | 78 |
| C | 5 | 72 |
| D | 5 | 65 |
| E | 4 | 60 |
| F | 3 | 55 |
| G | 3 | 48 |
| H | 2 | 40 |
| I | 2 | 35 |
| J | 1 | 30 |
| K | 1 | 25 |
| L | 0 | 15 |
Outline one way in which the researchers should have dealt with ethical issues in this study.
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