Visual avoidance in specific phobia

David F. Tolin; Jeffrey M. Lohr; Thomas C. Lee; Craig N. Sawchuk

doi:10.1016/S0005-7967(98)00111-9

Visual avoidance in specific phobia

David F. Tolin, Jeffrey M. Lohr, Thomas C. Lee, Craig N. Sawchuk

Psychiatry and Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

53 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cognitive models of anxiety postulate that fear and anxiety serve as programs for avoidance of threat-relevant stimuli. We hypothesized that exposure to phobia-relevant stimuli would lead to visual avoidance in specific phobics. Spider phobic, blood-injection-injury phobic, and nonphobic participants were asked to view spider, injection, and neutral photographs through a three-channel tachistoscope that measured viewing time for each picture. Despite experimenter instructions to study the pictures carefully for a subsequent recognition test, phobic subjects showed decreased viewing times for threat-relevant pictures as compared to neutral pictures. Results are discussed in terms of cognitive models of anxiety disorders and implications for exposure-based therapies. Copyright (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	63-70
Number of pages	8
Journal	Behaviour Research and Therapy
Volume	37
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(98)00111-9
State	Published - Jan 1 1999

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Clinical Psychology
Psychiatry and Mental health

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AB - Cognitive models of anxiety postulate that fear and anxiety serve as programs for avoidance of threat-relevant stimuli. We hypothesized that exposure to phobia-relevant stimuli would lead to visual avoidance in specific phobics. Spider phobic, blood-injection-injury phobic, and nonphobic participants were asked to view spider, injection, and neutral photographs through a three-channel tachistoscope that measured viewing time for each picture. Despite experimenter instructions to study the pictures carefully for a subsequent recognition test, phobic subjects showed decreased viewing times for threat-relevant pictures as compared to neutral pictures. Results are discussed in terms of cognitive models of anxiety disorders and implications for exposure-based therapies. Copyright (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.

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Visual avoidance in specific phobia

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