Effects of instructional set on self-reports of panic attacks

Use of the Panic Attack Questionnaire-IV to assess non-clinical panic attacks and limited symptom panic attacks in Student and Community Samples

“…Consistent with the findings of Brown and Cash (1989) and Wilson et al (1991), the modified definition of a panic attack resulted in a panic endorsement of 22.1% among the Student Sample and 19.4% in the Community Sample. When DSM-IV criteria for a panic attack were applied, however, the prevalence of panic attacks decreased to 4.3% and 6.3%, respectively.…”

“…Despite its popularity, several researchers have rightly cautioned the potential limits of the instrument in regard to sensitivity and specificity (Brown & Cash, 1989;Wilson, Sandler, Asmundson, Larsen, & Ediger, 1991). Brown and Cash (1989), for example, suggested that the initial definition of a panic attack on the PAQ might not adequately distinguish panic attacks from other experiences of anxiety, worry, or fear.…”

“…Although no other measurement indices of panic attacks or related constructs were administered, it was generally assumed that the modified instructions decreased the number of false-positives and improved the validity of the instrument. Wilson et al (1991) also examined the effect of modifying the panic attack definition of the PAQ. They compared responses from 805 participants who received the typical definition to those of 805 participants who instead read a vignette of a woman experiencing an unexpected panic attack.…”

The village that helped me face fear: Reflections on the training and early career experiences of the 2014 Donald O. Hebb Award recipient.

“…One of the first research projects I assisted with involved an assessment of whether instructions provided to people completing surveys about panic attack experiences influenced their reporting of panic attacks (Wilson, Sandler, Asmundson, Larsen, & Ediger, 1991). Why?…”

Optimal or Typical Performance? The Impact of Instructional Set on the Behavioral Assessment of Parent-Child Interactions

“…Instructional set is the direction given to a parent prior to a standardized observation that communicates the examiners' expectations regarding parenting behavior. Although the impact of instructional set has not been examined in the behavioral observation of parent-child interactions, other literatures demonstrate that altering instructions even slightly can significantly influence behaviors (Hartmann, 2001;Hartmann & Vanem, 2003;Kelly, Janke, & Shumway-Cook, 2010;Sloan, Marx, Epstein, & Lexington, 2007;Wilson, Sandler, Asmundson, & Larsen, 1991). Areas of investigation outside of the parenting literature suggest that specific instructions can reduce individuals' confusion and increase targeted behaviors.…”