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Old 02-26-2014, 12:15 PM   #105
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Abstract

The current study tested the association between fear and perception in spider phobic individuals (n = 57) within the context of a treatment outcome study. Participants completed 5 post-treatment Behavioral Approach Tasks (BATs) in which they encountered a live spider and were asked to provide spider size estimates. Consistent with predictions, results indicated that high levels of fear were associated with magnified perception of phobic stimuli. Specifically, we found a significant positive correlation between size estimates and self-reported fear while encountering spiders. Together with previous findings, these results further support the notion that fear is involved in the encoding and processing of perceptual information.


http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...87618511001447




Arachnophobes Think Spiders Are Bigger Than They Really Are

The more afraid of spiders you are, the bigger they seem to be

By Colin Schultz
smithsonianmag.com



Many of us are not so fond of spiders, with their multiple eyes and creepy-crawly legs. But some of us get it worse. For arachnophobes, spiders aren't just unsettling or gross; they're petrifying. Seeing a spider, or even a picture of a spider, sends arachnophobes' hearts racing and paralyzes their bodies with fear. In 2012, a team of psychologists discovered an unfortunate aspect of arachnophobia: the more scared you are of spiders, the bigger the spider looks to you.

In a study, people who self-described as afraid of spiders were made to repeatedly come in close proximity to a series of tarantulas. They then had to draw down on a sheet how big the spider was, tip to tip, says Marc Abrahams in the Guardian. Using a separate assessment of arachnophobia, the researchers found the relationship between fear and perceived size.

Psychologist Jeremy Dean, writing for his site PsyBlog, says that people who are afraid of spiders also misjudge their distance: “people who are afraid of spiders perceive them as closer, if they come towards them.”

It is possible to train away arachnophobia, though you probably wouldn't enjoy it. The preferred method is to just hang around with a bunch of spiders until you get used to it. If that's too much, you can look at virtual reality representations of spiders. If that is too much, you can look at vaguely spider-y things and work your way from there.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-...are-180949882/
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