Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Measuring Attentional Biases for Threat in Children and Adults
Published on: October 19, 2014
Effects of cluster size on trypophobic discomfort in children aged 4-9 years
Tomoko Imura1, Chiharu Suzuki2, Mai Kasahara3
1Department of Psychology, Faculty of Integrated Arts and Social Sciences, Japan Women's University, 2-8-1, Mejirodai, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-8681, Japan. imurat@fc.jwu.ac.jp.
Abstract:
It has been reported that strong discomfort associated with clusters of circles and holes (trypophobia), including lotus pod seeds, manifests in individuals as young as 4 or 5 years old. This study investigated how the size and number of circles within clusters affected discomfort levels in adults and in children aged 4-9 years. In Experiment 1, we confirmed that the remote experimental procedure could evoke discomfort when participants were presented with cluster images. The findings reveal that children as young as 4 or 5 years old consistently experienced discomfort when rating trypophobic images, even printed images rated in real time during video calls. In Experiment 2, we explored the impact of cluster size, considering both the size and number of circles, in a remote experiment. The results indicate that discomfort tended to increase with cluster size in both children and adults, with the effect becoming more pronounced with age.
Related Concept Videos
Factors Affecting Drug Response: Overview
Drug Dosing: Infants and Children
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion

