Heart-rate responses to snakes among behaviorally avoidant and nonavoidant college students

Abstract

The study assessed the extent to which heart-rate responsivity in the presence of a snake is correlated with behavioral avoidance of a snake. College students described, by a commonly used method, as either snake-avoidant or nonavoidant were exposed to a snake and to a neutral stimulus while their heart rates were monitored. Those Ss who were not behaviorally avoidant responded to the snake and to the neutral stimulus in essentially the same way. Those who were behaviorally avoidant showed less heart-rate responsivity to the neutral stimulus than to the snake. However, this difference was marginal and of insufficient magnitude to argue that snake-avoidant volunteer Ss are meaningful surrogates for clinically phobic patients. The results indict the value of dozens of previous experiments.