Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Women's affiliation across the menstrual cycle: Cycle phase variation and associations with progesterone and estradiol.

Hormones and behavior·2025

Same author

Sexual Desire is not Partner-Specific : Evidence for a Positive Association Between Desire for One's Romantic Partner and Desire for Alternative Partners.

Human nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.)·2024

Same author

Mortality risk predicts global, local, and individual patterns of human reproduction.

BMC public health·2024

Same author

Sociodemographic predictors of perceived weight discrimination.

International journal of obesity (2005)·2024

Same author

Experimentally manipulated anger activates implicit cognitions about social hierarchy.

Cognition & emotion·2024

Same author

Vulnerabilities in social anxiety: Integrating intra- and interpersonal perspectives.

Clinical psychology review·2024

Same journal

Illness Symptoms during Pregnancy Impact Offspring Development and Parental Behavior during the Postpartum Period.

Evolutionary psychological science·2026

Same journal

Higher Sexual Avoidance, not Higher Pathogen Disgust, Is Associated with Lower Arousal in Women with a History of Unwanted Sex.

Evolutionary psychological science·2025

Same journal

From Envy to Radicalization.

Evolutionary psychological science·2024

Same journal

Functional Heuristics of Disease Transmission from Physical Deformities in Food Preferences.

Evolutionary psychological science·2023

Same journal

Exploring Large Digital Bodies for the Study of Human Behavior.

Evolutionary psychological science·2023

Same journal

Preference for Male Risk Takers Varies with Relationship Context and Health Status but not COVID Risk.

Evolutionary psychological science·2023

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 11, 2025

A Visual Guide for Studying Behavioral Defenses to Pathogen Attacks in Leaf-Cutting Ants

A Visual Guide for Studying Behavioral Defenses to Pathogen Attacks in Leaf-Cutting Ants

Published on: October 12, 2018

Capturing Fluctuations in Pathogen Avoidance: the Situational Pathogen Avoidance Scale.

Anastasia Makhanova¹, E Ashby Plant², Jon K Maner²

¹Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, 216 Memorial Hall, Fayetteville, AR 72701 USA.

Evolutionary Psychological Science

|August 25, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study introduces the Situational Pathogen Avoidance (SPA) scale to measure immediate changes in pathogen avoidance. The SPA scale helps understand how these fluctuations influence social biases against certain groups.

Keywords:

Behavioral immune system Disease avoidance Pathogen threat Scale development Social distancing

More Related Videos

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

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

Published on: October 3, 2020

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Mechanisms of Stress Resilience - Significant Findings, Advancements, and Future Research

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Mechanisms of Stress Resilience - Significant Findings, Advancements, and Future Research

Published on: December 15, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 11, 2025

A Visual Guide for Studying Behavioral Defenses to Pathogen Attacks in Leaf-Cutting Ants

A Visual Guide for Studying Behavioral Defenses to Pathogen Attacks in Leaf-Cutting Ants

Published on: October 12, 2018

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

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

Published on: October 3, 2020

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Mechanisms of Stress Resilience - Significant Findings, Advancements, and Future Research

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Mechanisms of Stress Resilience - Significant Findings, Advancements, and Future Research

Published on: December 15, 2023

Area of Science:

Psychology
Social Psychology
Behavioral Science

Background:

Pathogen avoidance influences human behavior and social biases.
Existing scales measure chronic pathogen avoidance, but not moment-to-moment fluctuations.
A tool to assess situational pathogen avoidance is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and validate the Situational Pathogen Avoidance (SPA) scale.
To assess situational variability in pathogen avoidance, particularly concerning social stimuli.
To explore the SPA scale's role in mediating social biases.

Main Methods:

Development of the Situational Pathogen Avoidance (SPA) scale.
Six studies were conducted to establish reliability and validity.
Mediation analyses were used to link pathogen avoidance motives to social biases.

Main Results:

The SPA scale demonstrated reliability and validity across studies.
Situational activation of pathogen avoidance motives influenced SPA scores.
The SPA scale mediated the relationship between pathogen avoidance motives and social biases.

Conclusions:

The SPA scale is a reliable and valid measure of situational pathogen avoidance.
The scale can be used to study fluctuations in pathogen avoidance and their impact on social biases.
This tool advances research in pathogen avoidance and social bias.