Bennett-Levy - Fear of animals

Question 0

Aims

Answer 0

The study aims to show that the perceptual characteristics of small, harmless animals should be meaningfully related to the distribution of ratings of fear.

Question 1

Context

Answer 1

Animal phobias are common in all cultures even those that spiders cannot cause harm. This may show that the is an evolutionary mechanism to fear certain animals.

This is shown by:
Some animal phobias are more common that others
Sufferers of animal phobias often have no direct experience of the animal they fear
Onset of phobias peaks at 4 years old

Question 2

Procedures

Answer 2

Two questionnaires were handed out to 113 participants who attended a british health care centre
The questionnaires were distributed randomly
Questionnaire listed 29 harmless animals and insects
3-point scale for fear and 5-point scale for nearness
3-point scale for four perceptual dimensions; ugly slimy, speedy and sudden movement

Question 3

Findings

Answer 3

Rats feared considerably more than others.
Sex differences (females less willing do deal with 10 animals such as jellyfish, cockroach and worm)
All four perceptual dimensions are related to nearness and fear.

Question 4

Conclusions

Answer 4

The findings support the discrepancy principle and the notion of averse stimulus configurations

Question 5

Alternate evidence

Answer 5

Seligman - Found that it took around 3-4 shocks to condition a fear of spiders and snakes but considerably more to do the same with flowers.

Cook and Mineka - Monkeys watched videos of other monkeys acting fearful of toy crocodiles and snakes. The observer moneys then displayed the same fear towards the toys. However this type of learning did not work welll with flowers and houses.

Ohman - Found that conditioned phobias to flowers and houses disappeared quickly when not paired with the shock but conditioned phobias of snakes and spiders persisted for longer