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Imagery and fear influence height perception
Open accessAbstract
The current study tested whether height overestimation is related to height fear and influenced by images of falling. To assess perceptual biases, participants high (n=65) versus low (n=64) in height fear estimated the vertical extents of two balconies using a visual matching task. On one of the balconies, participants engaged in an imagery exercise designed to enhance the subjective sense that they were acting in a dangerous environment by picturing themselves falling. As expected, we found that individuals overestimated the balcony's height more after they imagined themselves falling, particularly if they were already afraid of heights. These findings suggest that height fear may serve as a vulnerability factor that leads to perceptual biases when triggered by a stressor (in this case, images of falling).
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When asked to stand on a balcony, height-fearful individuals more strongly endorsed danger-related thoughts and thoughts of being unable to cope with anxiety than low-fear participants.
“Additionally, when asked to stand on a balcony, height-fearful individuals more strongly endorsed experiencing thoughts related to danger (e.g., “The railing will not protect me”) and their inability to cope with anxiety (“I will be paralyzed by fear”), compared to low fear participants (Clerkin et al., 2009; Teachman et al., 2008).”
From Cognitive processing and acrophobia: validating the Heights Interpretation Questionnaire (2011) · cites this paper as Clerkin et al., 2009
The current studies demonstrate that height-fearful individuals interpret heights as dangerous and doubt their ability to cope with anxiety.
“Consistent with past research (e.g., Clerkin et al., 2009; Menzies & Clark, 1995; Teachman et al., 2008), the current studies demonstrate that height fearful individuals interpret heights to be dangerous and they doubt their ability to cope with their anxiety.”
From Cognitive processing and acrophobia: validating the Heights Interpretation Questionnaire (2011) · cites this paper as Clerkin et al., 2009
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Metadata
- Authors
- Clerkin, E. M., Cody, M. W., Stefanucci, J. K., Proffitt, D. R., & Teachman, B. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Virginia (US)
- William & Mary (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Anxiety Disorders
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2009-04
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 381-386
- ISSN
- 0887-6185 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2650002
- OpenAlex
- W2119262278
- Cited by
- 67
- References
- 20
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 3.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Anxiety Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- W&M Publish (College of William & Mary) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH075781)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Keywords
- acrophobia, visual perception, imagery, perceptual bias, stress, vulnerability factors
- MeSH terms
- Distance Perception, Environment, Fear, Female, Humans, Imagination, Male, Perceptual Distortion, Size Perception, Visual Perception, Recognition, Psychology, Young Adult
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