Disgust and fear in response to spiders

Vernon, Laura L.; Berenbaum, Howard

doi:10.1080/02699930143000464

Cited by 58 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…However, expectancies for the spider picture-disgust expression pairings remained a significant predictor of BAT compliance among the high spider fear group when controlling for the neutral picture-disgust expression pairings. It has been shown that spider phobia is marked by a general propensity to experience disgust (Olatunji 2006;Vermon and Berenbaum 2002). The relation between expectancies of covariation for the neutral picture-disgust expression pairings and avoidance suggests that the tendency towards expecting disgust-relevant outcomes (disgust expression) in non-threatening or safe contexts (neutral pictures) may be a robust predictor of avoidance behavior.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Expectancy Bias for Fear and Disgust and Behavioral Avoidance in Spider Fearful Individuals

et al. 2007

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The study examines the relationship between fear and disgust-related expectancies of covariation and avoidance in spider fearful individuals. Participants high (n = 22) and low (n = 28) in spider fear were asked to rate the probability that spider pictures, disgust-relevant pictures (e.g., rotting foods and body products), and neutral pictures (e.g., tools and appliances) would be followed by one of three possible outcomes: fear, disgust, or neutral facial expressions. Participants then engaged in a behavioral avoidance task (BAT) that required them to approach and open a black box containing a spider that was placed 13 feet away. No significant differences between high and low spider fearful participants were found for expectancies for the spider picture-fear expression pairings. However, the high spider fear participants reported significantly higher expectancies than low spider fear participants for the spider picture-disgust expression pairings. Conversely, the low spider fear group reported significantly higher expectancies than the high spider fear participants for the spider picture-neutral expression pairings. Furthermore, higher expectancies for the disgust expression to be paired with spider pictures were significantly associated with avoidance on the BAT. These findings provide additional support for the role of disgust in spider phobia.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Expectancy Bias for Fear and Disgust and Behavioral Avoidance in Spider Fearful Individuals

et al. 2007

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“…Alien spiders could also be seen as having a negative impact on the well-being of many humans because they cause fear and disgust, especially if they are large and advertised as ''dangerous'' (GarciaPalacios et al 2002;Vernon and Berenbaum 2002). Often spider introductions are reported by the media, frequently in a style that provokes fear, but this is usually far from reality and cannot be considered here.…”

Section: Impactmentioning

confidence: 95%

Introduction, establishment rate, pathways and impact of spiders alien to Europe

Nentwig

2015

Biol Invasions

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A comprehensive analysis of spiders reported as alien for Europe over the last 200 years has yielded information for 184 spider species, which had been introduced at least once. The most common spider families are Theridiidae (27 species), Pholcidae (15), Salticidae (14), Sparassidae (14), Ctenidae (14), and Theraphosidae (13) but overall establishment rate was only 28 %. No ctenids or theraphosids established, and only one sparassid species, but many theridiids and pholcids. Most introduced species originated from South (34 %), Central (10 %) or North (12 %), America, Asia (19 %) and Africa (15 %). Only few of the South and Central American species could establish, while species from North America (36 %) and Asia (63 %) had much higher establishment rates. Over the last 200 years, introduction and establishment rates have been strongly increasing. Three pathways are responsible for the majority of introductions: fruit shipments (67 % of all cases), potted plants (16 %) and containers or packaging material (12 %). In contrast to fruit shipments, spiders introduced on plants or with containers have high establishment rates (65 and 47 %). Environmental impact of alien spiders can be expected on both insects (through predation) and spiders (through predation and competition), potentially leading to change of species composition and guild structure. Socio-economic impact includes

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“…Greater levator labii and corrugator muscle activation is typical of the disgust facial expression [58], and greater levator labii muscle activation has been found in spider-fearful than in non-fearful individuals while viewing pictures of spiders or approaching a spider in a BAT procedure [59,60], as well as in BII individuals viewing surgery videos [61].…”

Section: Measuring Disgustmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disgust: the disease-avoidance emotion and its dysfunctions

Davey

2011

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

157

113

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This review analyses the accumulating evidence from psychological, psychophysiological, neurobiological and cognitive studies suggesting that the disease-avoidance emotion of disgust is a predominant emotion experienced in a number of psychopathologies. Current evidence suggests that disgust is significantly related to small animal phobias (particularly spider phobia), blood -injection -injury phobia and obsessive -compulsive disorder contamination fears, and these are all disorders that have primary disgust elicitors as a significant component of their psychopathology. Disgust propensity and sensitivity are also significantly associated with measures of a number of other psychopathologies, including eating disorders, sexual dysfunctions, hypochondriasis, height phobia, claustrophobia, separation anxiety, agoraphobia and symptoms of schizophrenia-even though many of these psychopathologies do not share the disease-avoidance functionality that characterizes disgust. There is accumulating evidence that disgust does represent an important vulnerability factor for many of these psychopathologies, but when disgust-relevant psychopathologies do meet the criteria required for clinical diagnosis, they are characterized by significant levels of both disgust and fear/anxiety. Finally, it has been argued that disgust may also facilitate anxiety and distress across a broad range of psychopathologies through its involvement in more complex human emotions such as shame and guilt, and through its effect as a negative affect emotion generating threat-interpretation biases.

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Disgust and fear in response to spiders

Cited by 58 publications

References 40 publications

Expectancy Bias for Fear and Disgust and Behavioral Avoidance in Spider Fearful Individuals

Expectancy Bias for Fear and Disgust and Behavioral Avoidance in Spider Fearful Individuals

Introduction, establishment rate, pathways and impact of spiders alien to Europe

Disgust: the disease-avoidance emotion and its dysfunctions

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