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

Preparedness and Phobias

Preparedness and Phobias

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...

Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies

Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies

When we hold a stereotype about a person, we have expectations that he or she will fulfill that stereotype. A self-fulfilling prophecy is an expectation held by a person that alters his or her behavior in a way that tends to make it true. When we hold stereotypes about a person, we tend to treat the person according to our expectations. This treatment can influence the person to act according to our stereotypic expectations, thus confirming our stereotypic beliefs. Research by Rosenthal and...

Elaborative Rehearsals

Elaborative Rehearsals

Elaborative rehearsal is a crucial cognitive strategy that strengthens information encoding in long-term memory by making meaningful connections between new data and pre-existing knowledge. This approach contrasts with maintenance rehearsal, which involves simple repetition without delving into the significance of the information. While maintenance rehearsal might temporarily keep information active in short-term memory, it is less effective for long-term retention.
The effectiveness of...

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic condition characterized by excessive and uncontrollable worry that persists for at least six months, significantly interfering with daily functioning. Unlike situational anxiety, which arises in response to specific stressors, GAD often occurs without a clear cause. Individuals may experience disproportionate worry about work, health, or relationships. For instance, a person might continuously fear poor health despite normal medical evaluations or...

Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory

Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory

Improving short-term memory can be achieved through techniques like chunking and rehearsal. Chunking involves organizing information into larger, more manageable units. This technique is particularly useful for information that exceeds the typical memory span of between five and nine items. For instance, logging into an online account with a password like "ta89vq0179gz" involves grouping letters and numbers into three chunks—ta89, vq01, and 79gz. It makes large amounts of...

Repressed Memory

Repressed Memory

Repressed memories are a psychological phenomenon where memories of traumatic events are unconsciously blocked from a person's awareness. This process occurs as a defense mechanism, protecting the mind from the emotional impact of distressing or painful experiences. For example, a person who has experienced childhood trauma may grow up with no conscious recollection of the event. In such cases, the memories are thought to be buried deep within the subconscious, inaccessible to the conscious...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Effects on intrusive memories of playing Tetris with or without simultaneous and deliberate memory recall.

Journal of traumatic stress·2026

Same authorSame journal

Does future-oriented imagery rescripting increase willingness to carry out a social anxiety-related behavioral experiment? An extended replication.

Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry·2026

Same author

Are fear learning, interpretation bias training and global-local processing related to social anxiety? An individual differences study.

Cognitive behaviour therapy·2026

Same author

I'm Still Standing: Body Sway, Interpersonal Distance, and Social Anxiety - A Proof of Principle.

Clinical psychology in Europe·2026

Same author

Grief-related mental images and their association with prolonged grief symptoms and grief cognitions: a mixed-methods study.

Memory (Hove, England)·2026

Same author

Imagery rescripting: New developments special issue editorial.

Behaviour research and therapy·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 10, 2025

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

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

Published on: September 12, 2014

Mental threat rehearsal increases fear generalization.

Eva A M van Dis¹, Muriel A Hagenaars¹, Iris M Engelhard¹

¹Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands.

Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry

|November 20, 2023

Summary

Mental imagery of threat can increase fear generalization. Threat inflation combined with imagining threat led to greater distress, suggesting imagery plays a role in anxiety.

Keywords:

Anxiety disorders Fear generalization Mental imagery Rehearsal Threat inflation

More Related Videos

Fear Incubation Using an Extended Fear-Conditioning Protocol for Rats

Fear Incubation Using an Extended Fear-Conditioning Protocol for Rats

Published on: August 22, 2020

Human Fear Conditioning Conducted in Full Immersion 3-Dimensional Virtual Reality

Human Fear Conditioning Conducted in Full Immersion 3-Dimensional Virtual Reality

Published on: August 9, 2010

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 10, 2025

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

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

Published on: September 12, 2014

Fear Incubation Using an Extended Fear-Conditioning Protocol for Rats

Fear Incubation Using an Extended Fear-Conditioning Protocol for Rats

Published on: August 22, 2020

Human Fear Conditioning Conducted in Full Immersion 3-Dimensional Virtual Reality

Human Fear Conditioning Conducted in Full Immersion 3-Dimensional Virtual Reality

Published on: August 9, 2010

Area of Science:

Psychology
Neuroscience
Cognitive Science

Background:

Fear generalization to harmless stimuli is a hallmark of anxiety disorders.
Mental imagery of threat is known to amplify conditioned fear responses.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if mental imagery of threat facilitates fear generalization.
To determine if threat inflation moderates the effect of imagery on fear generalization.

Main Methods:

A fear conditioning paradigm with 120 participants.
Inclusion of a threat inflation manipulation (increasing sound volume).
Inclusion of a threat rehearsal manipulation (mental imagery of threat).

Main Results:

Imagery-based threat rehearsal significantly increased generalization of threat expectancy.
The combination of threat inflation and threat rehearsal led to heightened generalized distress.

Conclusions:

Mental imagery of threat may increase an individual's vulnerability to fear generalization.
Future research should explore modulating mental imagery as a strategy to prevent clinical anxiety.