High Spider Fearfuls can Overcome their Fear in a Virtual Approach-Avoidance Conflict Task

Spider-fearful persons are more reluctant to approach spiders and, if possible, tend to avoid their feared animal.These behavioural tendencies play a major role in the maintenance of their phobia. The present study is the first to motivate spider fearfuls approaching spiders in an approach-avoidance conflict. This was accomplished by using a virtual reality paradigm in which the participants had the choice between a safe, low rewarding, stimulus and aconflict symbol that signaled the occurrence of a high reward (80% of the trials) or a spider (20% of the trials). The results indicate that the virtual spider was capable of eliciting a strong fear response and that spider fearfuls can overcome their avoidance tendency in favour of a goal-directed approach response. Though no direct relation wasobserved between approach behaviour and a reduction in fear, spider fearfuls did report less spider fear, tensionand disgust after the task. These results are promising for development of new treatment options for specific phobias.status: publishe