Adaptation of a paradigm for examining the development of fear beliefs through the verbal information pathway in preschool-age children
Abstract
Verbal threat information has been shown to induce fear beliefs in school-age children (i.e. 6-12 years; for a review see Muris & Field, 2010). The current study adapted an existing paradigm (Field & Lawson, 2003) to examine the impact of verbal threat information on self-report and behavioral measures of fear in preschool-age children. Thirty children (aged 3-5) were provided with threat, positive, or no information about three novel Australian marsupials. There was a significant increase in fear belief for the animal associated with threat information compared to the animal associated with positive or no information. Verbal threat information did not impact behavioral avoidance in the complete sample; however, findings from an exploratory subgroup analysis excluding three-year-olds indicated that children demonstrated significant behavioral avoidance for the threat condition compared to the positive condition. These findings provide additional support for Rachman's theory of fear acquisition (1977, 1991) and suggest this paradigm may be used to examine the age at which verbal threat information becomes a relevant mode of fear acquisition for young children.
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In pre-school aged children, SPs are associated with significant impairments across most domains of life, including difficulties with education, family, social, and peer relationships.
“In pre-school aged children, SPs are associated with signi fi cant impairments across most domains of life, including, dif fi culties with education, family, social, and peer relationships (Egger & Angold, 2006; Rifkin et al., 2016; Towe-Goodman et al., 2014).”
From Specific Phobia in Young Children: Associations between the Origins of Fear and Clinical Expression of Phobia Symptoms. (2025) · cites this paper as Rifkin et al., 2016
Studies indicate emergence of specific phobias among children as young as three years of age.
“with studies indicating emergence among children as young as three years of age (Rifkin et al., 2016).”
From Specific Phobia in Young Children: Associations between the Origins of Fear and Clinical Expression of Phobia Symptoms. (2025) · cites this paper as Rifkin et al., 2016
Children with SP are at greater risk for the development of future mental health conditions, such as substance abuse, depression, panic disorder, eating disorders, and PTSD.
“Children with SP are also at greater risk for the development of future mental health conditions, such as substance abuse, depression, panic disorder, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD, Fichter et al., 2009; Lieb et al., 2016; Rifkin et al., 2016).”
From Specific Phobia in Young Children: Associations between the Origins of Fear and Clinical Expression of Phobia Symptoms. (2025) · cites this paper as Rifkin et al., 2016
Specific phobias set early in life, have a chronic course, and predict development of additional mental health concerns later in life.
“Speci fi c phobias set early in life, have a chronic course, and predict development of additional mental health concerns later in life; however, little is currently known about the origins of speci fi c phobias in young children aged 3 -6 years.”
From Specific Phobia in Young Children: Associations between the Origins of Fear and Clinical Expression of Phobia Symptoms. (2025) · cites this paper as Rifkin et al., 2016
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“Speci fi c phobias (SP) are among the most commonly occurring disorders across the lifespan and are one of the earliest to onset (Lieb et al., 2000; Steinhausen et al., 2016) with studies indicating emergence among children as young as three years of age (Rifkin et al., 2016).”
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Fear, Fiction and Facts: Animals in Outdoor Learning Environments
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Identifiable regional and neural network abnormalities in early childhood anxiety
Thompson, K. I., Zhang, Y., Schaedig, D., Bankston, A., Parnerkar, A., Jeyaram, S., Melhem, N., & Perlman, S. B. (2026) · JCPP Advances · doi:10.1002/jcv2.70158
- Authors
- Rifkin, L. S., Schofield, C. A., Beard, C., & Armstrong, T.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Skidmore College (US)
- Whitman College (US)
- Corresponding author
- Rifkin, Lara S.
- Venue
- Behaviour Research and Therapy
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-12
- Volume
- 87
- Pages
- 34-39
- ISSN
- 0005-7967 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2508012649
- Cited by
- 6
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 2
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Behaviour Research and Therapy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
- Keywords
- fear beliefs, fear acquisition, preschool children, behavioral avoidance, marsupials
- MeSH terms
- Avoidance Learning, Child, Preschool, Fear, Female, Humans, Male, Photic Stimulation, Verbal Behavior, Self Report
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