ARE COVARIATION BIASES ATTRIBUTABLE TO A-PRIORI EXPECTANCY BIASES

被引:46
作者
MCNALLY, RJ
HEATHERTON, TF
机构
[1] Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, William James Hall
关键词
D O I
10.1016/0005-7967(93)90118-E
中图分类号
B849 [应用心理学];
学科分类号
040203 ;
摘要
Illusory correlation experiments indicate that people overestimate the association between random presentations of snake slides and shock, but do not overestimate the association between random presentations of slides of damaged and exposed electric outlets (DEEOs) and shock. To investigate whether reports of covariation biases might be attributable to expectancy biases, we had Ss rate the a priori probabilities with which they would expect slides of snakes (or DEEOs), flowers, and mushrooms to be paired with shock, a tone, or nothing. In Study 1, Ss reported a pattern of a priori slide/outcome probability estimates that is nearly identical to that reported by Ss who have just undergone an illusory correlation procedure involving phylogenetic fear-relevant stimuli (e.g. snakes). Therefore, postexperimental estimates of covariation involving such stimuli appear at least partly attributable to pre-experimental expectancy biases rather than solely attributable to on-line processing biases. Study 2 revealed that Ss also display inflated a priori probability estimates for DEEO slides and shock, unlike Ss who have just undergone an illusory correlation procedure involving such stimuli. Taken together, these studies suggest that random slide/outcome pairings easily abolish pre-experimental expectancy biases for ontogenetic, but not phylogenetic, fear-relevant stimuli.
引用
收藏
页码:653 / 658
页数:6
相关论文
共 15 条
[1]   AN EXPECTANCY MODEL OF LABORATORY PREPAREDNESS EFFECTS [J].
DAVEY, GCL .
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY-GENERAL, 1992, 121 (01) :24-40
[2]   GREATER RESISTANCE TO EXTINCTION OF ELECTRODERMAL RESPONSES CONDITIONED TO POTENTIALLY PHOBIC CSS - A NONCOGNITIVE PROCESS [J].
DAWSON, ME ;
SCHELL, AM ;
BANIS, HT .
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, 1986, 23 (05) :552-561
[3]   COVARIATION BIAS AND ELECTRODERMAL RESPONDING IN SPIDER PHOBICS BEFORE AND AFTER BEHAVIORAL TREATMENT [J].
DEJONG, P ;
MERCKELBACH, H .
BEHAVIOUR RESEARCH AND THERAPY, 1991, 29 (04) :307-314
[4]   COVARIATION DETECTION IN TREATED AND UNTREATED SPIDER PHOBICS [J].
DEJONG, PJ ;
MERCKELBACH, H ;
ARNTZ, A ;
NIJMAN, H .
JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY, 1992, 101 (04) :724-727
[5]   ILLUSORY CORRELATION, ONLINE PROBABILITY ESTIMATES, AND ELECTRODERMAL RESPONDING IN A (QUASI)-CONDITIONING PARADIGM [J].
DEJONG, PJ ;
MERCKELBACH, H ;
ARNTZ, A .
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY, 1990, 31 (03) :201-212
[6]   THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SCALE TO MEASURE FEAR [J].
GEER, JH .
BEHAVIOUR RESEARCH AND THERAPY, 1965, 3 (01) :45-53
[7]   EXPECTANCY MODELS OF LABORATORY PREPAREDNESS EFFECTS - A UCS-EXPECTANCY BIAS IN PHYLOGENETIC AND ONTOGENIC FEAR-RELEVANT STIMULI [J].
HONEYBOURNE, C ;
MATCHETT, G ;
DAVEY, GCL .
BEHAVIOR THERAPY, 1993, 24 (02) :253-264
[8]   PREPAREDNESS AND PHOBIAS - A REVIEW [J].
MCNALLY, RJ .
PSYCHOLOGICAL BULLETIN, 1987, 101 (02) :283-303
[9]   COGNITIVE BIASES AND THE EMOTIONAL DISORDERS [J].
MINEKA, S ;
SUTTON, SK .
PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE, 1992, 3 (01) :65-69
[10]  
MINEKA S, 1989, AVERSION AVOIDANCE A, P195