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Human fear responses to certain stimuli, such as darkness, heights, deep water, and blood, can often arise despite the absence of direct negative experiences. This phenomenon is rooted in evolutionary psychology, which posits that humans have developed a predisposition to fear stimuli that historically posed significant survival threats. This predisposition, known as preparedness, suggests that early humans who developed a fear of potentially dangerous entities, such as venomous snakes and...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Investigating Pain-Related Avoidance Behavior using a Robotic Arm-Reaching Paradigm
09:00

Investigating Pain-Related Avoidance Behavior using a Robotic Arm-Reaching Paradigm

Published on: October 3, 2020

Specific phobias.

Alfons O Hamm1

  • 1Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Greifswald, Franz-Mehring-Strasse 47, D-17487 Greifswald, Germany. hamm@uni-greifswald.de

The Psychiatric Clinics of North America
|September 1, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Exposure therapy effectively treats specific phobias by confronting feared situations, leading to lasting fear reduction and improved behavior. This approach, particularly in-person exposure, is superior to medication alone.

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Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat
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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Investigating Pain-Related Avoidance Behavior using a Robotic Arm-Reaching Paradigm
09:00

Investigating Pain-Related Avoidance Behavior using a Robotic Arm-Reaching Paradigm

Published on: October 3, 2020

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat
11:18

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat

Published on: September 12, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Psychotherapy Research

Background:

  • Exposure therapy is a highly effective treatment for specific phobias.
  • It leads to stable improvements in both reported fear and behavioral avoidance.
  • In-vivo exposure is generally more effective than imaginal exposure.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the effectiveness of exposure-based treatments for specific phobias.
  • To compare different forms of exposure therapy (in vivo, imaginal, virtual reality).
  • To discuss the underlying mechanisms of change and implications for future diagnostics.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic confrontation with feared objects or situations.
  • Comparison of in vivo, in sensu (imaginal), and virtual reality exposure.
  • Evaluation of exposure therapy's efficacy relative to pharmacotherapy and cognitive enhancers.
  • Focus on extinction learning as the primary mechanism of change.

Main Results:

  • Exposure therapy yields significant and stable improvements in phobia treatment.
  • In vivo exposure is superior to in sensu exposure.
  • Virtual reality exposure is valuable for difficult-to-replicate situations.
  • Exposure therapy is more effective than pharmacotherapy, though enhancers can boost effects.
  • Relaxation induction is not required; extinction learning is key.

Conclusions:

  • Exposure therapy, particularly in vivo, is a highly effective treatment for specific phobias.
  • Extinction learning is the central mechanism driving therapeutic change.
  • Future diagnostic systems like DSM-V should focus on fear response patterns rather than avoided cues.