The influence of biological spider motion on perception and learning processes of individuals with spider phobia
Final Report Abstract
In recent decades, numerous studies have shown that our brains perceive and process threatening stimuli faster than neutral stimuli. This enhanced response is particularly well documented in people with anxiety disorders. So far, however, these processes have mostly been studied using static images. In natural environments, however, movement plays a crucial role and can influence emotional responses and learning processes. The research project therefore systematically investigated the influence of biological motion on perception, attention and learning, particularly in the context of specific phobias such as arachnophobia. The results show that moving animals evoke stronger emotional responses than static images. People with arachnophobia perceive moving spiders as more uncontrollable and unpredictable, which increases their fear. Interestingly, it is not the speed of the movement but the predictability of the movement pattern that influences the emotional experience. Early attentional processes have also been investigated, with a visual search study showing that moving spiders are not found more quickly than other animals. In addition, an innovative virtual reality experiment was developed to capture realistic learning processes when confronted with moving spiders. Another important development was a virtual behavioural test (vBATon) to measure avoidance behaviour in spider phobia. This test has been shown to be equivalent to a real confrontation test and provides an efficient, standardised alternative for research and practice. In the long term, the findings may help to improve psychotherapeutic treatments by taking into account the importance of movement in fear processing.
Publications
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Animal eMotion, or the emotional evaluation of moving animals. Cognition and Emotion, 36(6), 1132-1148.
Schmidt, Filipp; Schürmann, Lisa & Haberkamp, Anke
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ArachnophobiaRelief: A gamified Spider App to reduce spider fear and avoidance. European Association for behavioural and cognitive therapies, Barcelona, Spanien
Haberkamp, A., Romonath, T.-U. & Schmidt, F.
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Bistability of point-light spiders: Facing the (phobic) viewer?
Becker, M. & Haberkamp, A.
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Motion as a game-changer? Attention bias in spider phobics for moving spiders: a visual search task. 42nd European Conference on Visual Perception, Nijmegen
Becker, M. & Haberkamp, A.
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Out of control: The Role of Spider Movement and Intolerance of Uncertainty in Spider Phobia. EACLIPT, Warschau, Poland
Grill, M. & Haberkamp, A.
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Wohin krabbelst du, wohin? Einfluss der Bewegungsmuster von Spinnen und Intolerance of Uncertainty auf negative Emotionen und Kontrollerleben bei Spinnenangst. 1. Deutscher Psychotherapiekongress, Berlin
M. Grill, M. & A. Haberkamp, A.
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ArachnophobiaRelief: Eine gamifizierte App zur Reduktion von Spinnenangst und –vermeidung. 2. Deutscher Psychotherapiekongress, Berlin
Haberkamp, A., Romonath, T.-U., Simon, V. & Schmidt, F.
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Hilfe, es krabbelt! Wie hängen Biases und Vermeidungsverhalten zusammen? Ein Active Inference Modell für Spinnenphobie. 2. Deutscher Psychotherapiekongress, Berlin
Becker, M., Haberkamp, A. & Berg, M.
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Investigating intolerance of uncertainty as a moderator of threat expectancies in a virtual reality conditioning paradigm using non-linear Bayesian regression modelling
Grill, M., Kloft, M. & Haberkamp, A.
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Out of control: The role of spider movement and intolerance of uncertainty in spider fear. Journal of Experimental Psychopathology, 14(1).
Grill, Markus & Haberkamp, Anke
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Roundtable - Vom Labor in den Therapieraum und zurück – gelingt die Translation zwischen Grundlagen- und klinischer Anwendungsforschung?. (2023) 2. Deutscher Psychotherapiekongress, Berlin
Berking, M., Haberkamp, A., Lincoln, T., Lüken U., Pittig, A., Richter, J., Reisel, A. & Woud, M.
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Vermeidung goes digital: Entwicklung und Validierung eines softwarebasierten, online lauffähigen Behavioral Avoidance Test zur Messung von Spinnenangst. 2. Deutscher Psychotherapiekongress, Berlin
Grill, M., Heller, M. & Haberkamp, A.
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A hitchhiker’s guide to translation. Ideas for fostering reliable and relevant psychology research in the digital age. 53rd DGPs Congress, Wien, Österreich
Berg, M., Suchotzki, K., Zimmermann, J., Merz, C., Szota, K., Brandt, H., Lincoln, T., Hartwigsen, G., Mokros, A., Gade, M., Niessen, C., Rauthmann, J., Höhl, S., Kubiak, T., Franke, T., Frischlich, L., Degner, J., Matthies, E., Sparfeldt, J., Haberkamp, A. & the PsyChange consortium
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Development and initial validation of an open-access online Behavioral Avoidance Test (BAT) for spider fear.. Psychological Assessment, 36(5), 351-364.
Grill, Markus; Heller, Martin & Haberkamp, Anke
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Evidence for non-linear extinction learning and no influence of intolerance of uncertainty: investigating US expectancies in a VR fear conditioning paradigm. Center for Open Science.
Grill, Markus; Kloft, Matthias; Anhäuser, Steffen & Haberkamp, Anke
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EyeMotion: The effects of naturalistic moving stimuli on attentional processes of spider-fearful participants in a free-viewing paradigm. 46th European Conference on Visual Perception, Aberdeen, Scotland
Ziegltrum, L., Linka, M., Lehrer, K., Schmidt, F. & Haberkamp, A.
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Moving spiders do not boost visual search in spider fear. Scientific Reports, 14(1).
Becker, Miriam; Troje, Nikolaus F.; Schmidt, Filipp & Haberkamp, Anke
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The effects of naturalistic moving stimuli on attentional processes of spider-fearful participants – an eye-tracking study
Ziegltrum, L., Linka, M., Lehrer, K., Schmidt, F. & Haberkamp, A.
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The Future of Psychological Treatments. 53rd DGPs Congress, Wien, Österreich
Haberkamp, A., Rief W., Asmundson, G.J.G., Bryant, R.A., Clark, D.M., Ehlers, A., Holmes, E.A., McNally, R.J., Neufeld, C.B., Wilhelm, S., Jaroszewski, A.C., Berg, M., Hofmann, S.G. & the PsyChange consortium
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The future of psychological treatments: The Marburg Declaration. Clinical Psychology Review, 110, 102417.
Rief, Winfried; Asmundson, Gordon J.G.; Bryant, Richard A.; Clark, David M.; Ehlers, Anke; Holmes, Emily A.; McNally, Richard J.; Neufeld, Carmem B.; Wilhelm, Sabine; Jaroszewski, Adam C.; Berg, Max; Haberkamp, Anke & Hofmann, Stefan G.
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Spinnenpflege auf Zeit: Beitrag einer gamifizierten App zur Behandlung von Spinnenphobie – eine randomisiert kontrollierte Studie. 4. Deutscher Psychotherapiekongress, Berlin
Ziegltrum, L., Grill, M., Romonath, T.-U., Schmidt, F. & Haberkamp, A.
