The etiology of childhood dog phobia
Abstract
This study evaluated Rachman's theory of fear acquisition in a sample of 30 children with dog phobia. The children were on the waiting list of a university-based clinic. Parents were asked to indicate the most influential factor in the onset of their child's dog phobia. Nearly all parents were able to attribute their child's phobia to one of the fear pathways: direct conditioning, modelling or transmission of information.
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King et al. (1997) found that half of parents (53.34%) endorsed modelling as the most influential to the development of their child's fear, followed by direct conditioning (26.7%), information/instruction (6.7%), and unknown origins (13.34%).
“By contrast, another study including clinical children (1 -12 years, n = 30) with dog phobia (King et al., 1997), found that half of parents ( n = 16, 53.34%) endorsed modelling as the most in fl uential to the development of their child ' s fear, followed by a direct conditioning experience ( n = 8, 26.7%), and fi nally the information/instruction pathway ( n = 2, 6.7%).”
From Specific Phobia in Young Children: Associations between the Origins of Fear and Clinical Expression of Phobia Symptoms. (2025) · cites this paper as King et al., 1997
Findings from studies to date may suggest that the information/instruction pathway may be more implicated in the development of normative childhood fears than in children with clinical phobias.
“Taken together, fi ndings from studies to date may suggest that the information/instruction pathway may be more implicated in the development of normative childhood fears than in children with clinical phobias (King et al., 1997).”
From Specific Phobia in Young Children: Associations between the Origins of Fear and Clinical Expression of Phobia Symptoms. (2025) · cites this paper as King et al., 1997
The Pathways to Fear Survey is a valuable tool in examining the origins of children's fears.
“increasing evidence suggests that the Pathways to Fear Survey (Doogan & Thomas, 1992; King et al., 1997; Muris et al., 1997; Ollendick & King, 1991) is a valuable tool in examining the origins of children ' s fears”
From Specific Phobia in Young Children: Associations between the Origins of Fear and Clinical Expression of Phobia Symptoms. (2025) · cites this paper as King et al., 1997
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Anxiety Disorders During Childhood and Adolescence: Origins and Treatment
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“important contribution to the acquisition of children’s dog phobia (King et al. 1997) and dental fear (Milgrom et al.”
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“Successful intervention hinges on a careful diagnostic and behavioral assessment of the phobic child (see King et al., 1997).”
BackgroundSelf-citationCommon childhood fears and their origins
Muris, P., Merckelbach, H., & Collaris, R. (1997) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/s0005-7967(97)00050-8 · Cited by 126 · see citing works
“Milgrom, Mancl, King & Weinstein, 1995; King, Clowes-Hollins & Ollendick, 1997 ).”
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“However, in a study of 30 children with dog phobia, over 86% of parents “ were able to attribute their child's phobia to one of Rachman's three (non-innate) conditioning pathways: direct conditioning, modeling, or transmission of information ” (King et al., 1997).”
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“Preliminary evidence suggests that experiential/vicarious conditioning plays a greater role in clinical phobias than in common developmental fears in children (74).”
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“In addition to specific associative and nonassociative accounts of fear acquisition, Barlow (1988), Beck (1986), and Ollendick (1979) have proposed that stress and, more generally, negative life events et he stage for the development and onset of a variety of fears and anxieties.”
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“Evidence for these pathways has been established in children with specific phobia (King et al. 1997; Merckelbach et al. 1996), as well as adults with BII phobia (Öst 1991); however, this pathway has not been directly assessed among youth with BII.”
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“More than 86% of parents “were able to attribute their child’s phobia to one of Rachman’s three (noninnate) conditioning pathways: direct conditioning, modeling, or transmission of information” (King et al., 1997).”
The convergent validity of the Phobia Origins Questionnaire (POQ): a review of the evidence
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“Further, the Pathways to Fear Survey is not a validated measure, despite similar measures being used in several other related research studies (e.g., Doogan & Thomas, 1992; King et al., 1997; Muris et al., 1997; Ollendick & King, 1991).”
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Self-citation
- Authors
- King, N. J., Clowes-Hollins, V., & Ollendick, T. H.
- Affiliations
- Monash University (AU)
- Virginia Tech (US)
- Corresponding author
- King, Neville J.
- ORCID
- Ollendick, Thomas H.
- Venue
- Behaviour Research and Therapy
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1997-01
- Volume
- 35
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 77
- ISSN
- 0005-7967 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1980354383
- Cited by
- 52
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 3
- FWCI
- 5.08
- 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
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Human-Animal Interaction Studies
- Keywords
- dog phobia, childhood phobia, etiology, fear acquisition, modeling, information transmission, parental attributions
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Child, Child, Preschool, Dogs, Fear, Female, Humans, Infant, Male, Phobic Disorders, Psychological Theory, Sampling Studies
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