In Search of a Behavioral Measure of Experiential

Avoidance

Charles A. HayesRobert D. Zettle, Ph.D.

Suzanne Gird, M.A.Angie Hardage-Bundy, M.A.

Alternative Measure of Experiential Avoidance(EA) Paper-and-Pencil Measures assessing

EA: Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, AAQ-II Distress Tolerance: Distress Tolerance Scale, DTS

Candidates for Behavioral Measures of Experiential Avoidance Cold-pressor Paced Visual Serial Addition Test, PVSAT Breath-holding task

Purpose

Participants 120 total, Mean age 22.82(7.95), range 18-59

 Female White Asian

African-

American

Hispanic or

Latino/

Latina

% 59.2% 69.2% 14.2% 10.8% 7.5%

Method

Paper-and-Pencil MeasuresDTS or AAQ-II

Behavioral MeasuresBreath-Holding

Behavioral MeasuresPVSAT

Behavioral MeasuresCold Pressor

Paper-and-Pencil MeasuresAAQ-II or DTS

Method

Counter-balanced

Counter-balanced

Method: Paper-and-Pencil Measures

AAQ-II or DTS

Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, AAQ-II α = .89

Distress Tolerance Scale 15-item, self-report Survey questions

My feelings of distress or being upset are not acceptable. When I feel distressed or upset, I must do something about it

immediately. 5-point Likert scale α = .84 (Simons & Gaher, 2005)

(Bond et al., 2011)

(Zettle, et al., 2005)

Method: Behavioral Measures

Cold Pressor

Threshold • Painful

Tolerance • Remove hand

Endurance• Tolerance

minus Threshold

Method: Behavioral Measures

Cold Pressor

Threshold • Painful

Tolerance • Remove hand

Endurance• Tolerance

minus Threshold

(Zettle, et al., 2005)

55

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

(Fos, et al., 2000)

Method: Behavioral Measures

PVSAT

10

Score

1010

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

5

Method: Behavioral Measures

PVSAT

Score: Trial 1

• 3 m

Score: Trial 2

• 5 m

Score: Trial 3

• 10 m

Time: Trial 3

• 10 m max

(Fos, et al., 2000)

3 s

2 s

1 s

-------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------

--------------

# Rate

(Brown et al., 2005)

Method: Behavioral Measures

Breath-Holding

Exhale • Start time

Deep Breath

• Hold it

Exhale • Stop time

Results

Correlations

Cold Pressor (Threshold)

Breath Holding (Average)

AAQ-II -.224* .250**

*Correlation is significant at 0.05 level (2-tailed)**Correlation is significant at 0.01 level (2-tailed)

Results

Correlations

Cold Pressor (Tolerance)

Cold Pressor (Endurance)

Breath Holding (Average)

.252** .261**

**Correlation is significant at 0.01 level (2-tailed)

Correlations AAQ-II & DTS

r(118) = -.587, p < .001 Order Effects

AAQ-II t(118) = -.245, p = .016

Results

AAQ-II DTS02468

101214161820

PrePost

Two Overarching Questions Did these measures correlate to the degree that was

anticipated? No

Why not?

Discussion

Potential Directions?

Correlations AAQ-II

Pre-task Post-task

Breath-holding CorrelationSig. (2-tailed)n

.033 ns60

.366 .00460

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the Contextual Behavioral Science Lab for all their help with this presentation!

Any Questions?

Q & A

For a reference list, please contact Charles Hayes at Cahayes@wichita.edu

5

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Score

342610

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

12345

Trial 3

9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

6

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11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

8

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

8

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20