11/30/2022 0 Comments Spider graph stata 13Several studies have demonstrated rapid detection of spiders and snakes in visual search tasks with adult participants ( Öhman et al., 2001), especially in patients with specific phobias ( Pflugshaupt et al., 2005). In the present study, we therefore test whether young infants react with increased pupillary dilation to spiders and snakes. Evidence for arousal in response to snakes and spiders in early ontogeny would support the notion that an evolved mechanism underlies specific fears of ancestral threats in humans. These fears may, however, be extinguished through safe exposure and habituation in normal development explaining why specific phobias do not occur at an even higher prevalence rate. Poulton and Menzies (2002) even suggested the existence of evolved fears of snakes and spiders that do not require fear-learning in ontogeny. Seligman (1971) proposed that primates possess an evolved preparedness to associate ancestral threats such as spiders and snakes with fear, thus explaining the high occurrence of specific phobias for these stimuli. Venomous spiders and snakes have, however, been dangerous for our ancestors for 40–60 million years of co-existence, possibly allowing primates to evolve mechanisms to quickly detect these potential threats ( New and German, 2015). Fear of spiders and snakes are the most reported specific phobias, even though these animals hardly pose a threat to humans today ( Russell, 1991 Fredrikson et al., 1996). Results support the notion of an evolved preparedness for developing fear of these ancestral threats.Īlthough clinical fears of spiders and snakes have a prevalence rate of 1–5 percent ( Fredrikson et al., 1996), a strong dislike of these animals is reported by more than a third of the child population ( Muris et al., 1997) and the adult population ( Davey, 1991), the latter from which even entomologists are not exempt ( Vetter, 2013). Infants reacted with increased pupillary dilation indicating arousal to spiders and snakes compared with flowers and fish. Infants’ pupillary responses linked to activation of the noradrenergic system were measured. Here, 6-month-old infants were presented with pictures of spiders and flowers (Study 1, within-subjects), or snakes and fish (Study 1, within-subjects Study 2, between-subjects). However, it is currently unclear whether these stimuli induce increased physiological arousal in infants.
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