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A behavioral route to dysfunctional representations: the effects of training approach or avoidance tendencies towards novel animals in children.

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 18:10 authored by Jorg Huijding, Andy FieldAndy Field, Jan De Houwer, Katrien Vandenbosch, Mike Rinck, Machteld Van Oeveren
We examined the effects of training to approach or avoid novel animals on fear-related responses in children. Ninety-five primary school children (9-13 years old) were instructed to repeatedly push away or pull closer pictures of novel animals. We tested whether this manipulation would lead to changes in self-reported attitudes, implicit attitudes, fear beliefs, and avoidance behaviors towards these animals. The training produced more positive self-reported attitudes towards the pulled animal and more negative attitudes towards the pushed animal. After the training, girls reported more fear and avoidance of the pushed animal than of the pulled animal, while such training effects were absent in boys. No significant training effects were observed on implicit attitudes. Interestingly, the level of anxiety disorder symptoms prior to training was related to some of the training effects: Stronger prior fear was related to stronger changes in self-reported attitudes, and in boys, also to fear beliefs. The finding that a simple approach-avoidance training influences children's fear-related responses lends support to general theories of fear acquisition in children as well as to models that try to explain the intergenerational transmission of anxiety.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Behaviour Research and Therapy

ISSN

0005-7967

Issue

6

Volume

47

Page range

471-477

Pages

7.0

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2012-02-06

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