Comparison of positive vicarious learning and verbal information for reducing vicariously learned fear

Reynolds, Gemma, Wasely, David, Dunne, Güler and Askew, Chris (2018) Comparison of positive vicarious learning and verbal information for reducing vicariously learned fear Cognition and Emotion, 32 (6). pp. 1166-1177.

Preview

Text comparison of positive vicarious learning and verbal information for reducing vicariously learned fear.pdf - Accepted version Manuscript Download (757kB) | Preview

Abstract

Research with children has demonstrated that both positive vicarious learning (modelling) and positive verbal information can reduce children’s acquired fear responses for a particular stimulus. However, this fear reduction appears to be more effective when the intervention pathway matches the initial fear learning pathway. That is, positive verbal information is a more effective intervention than positive modelling when fear is originally acquired via negative verbal information. Research has yet to explore whether fear reduction pathways are also important for fears acquired via vicarious learning. To test this, an experiment compared the effectiveness of positive verbal information and positive vicarious learning interventions for reducing vicariously acquired fears in children (7-9 years). Both vicarious and informational fear reduction interventions were found to be equally effective at reducing vicariously acquired fears, suggesting that acquisition and intervention pathways do not need to match for successful fear reduction. This has significant implications for parents and those working with children because it suggests that providing children with positive information or positive vicarious learning immediately after a negative modelling event may prevent more serious fears developing.

Item Type:	Article
Divisions :	Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences > School of Psychology
Authors :	Name Email ORCID Reynolds, Gemma Wasely, David Dunne, Güler Askew, Chris c.askew@surrey.ac.uk
Date :	2018
DOI :	10.1080/02699931.2017.1389695
Copyright Disclaimer :	© 2017 Taylor & Francis. This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in 'A comparison of positive vicarious learning and verbal information for reducing vicariously learned fear', by Gemma Reynolds, David Wasely, Güler Dunne & Chris Askew in Cognition and Emotion Vol. 32, Iss. 6, pp.1166-1177. 2017. available online at: https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2017.1389695
Uncontrolled Keywords :	Vicarious learning; Childhood fears; Fear reduction; Modelling; Observational learning
Depositing User :	Clive Harris
Date Deposited :	12 Oct 2017 10:37
Last Modified :	20 Apr 2019 02:08
URI:	http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/id/eprint/842527

Actions (login required)

View Item

Downloads