Open AccessThe Emotion of Fear: Its Experience in Situations Involving Animals, Accidents, and Violence and Its Regulation by the Cognitive Reappraisal Strategy
Author(s) -
Prosen Simona,
Poljšak Škraban Olga,
Slana Ozimič Anka,
Repovš Grega,
Smrtnik Vitulić Helena
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
japanese psychological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.392
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1468-5884
pISSN - 0021-5368
DOI - 10.1111/jpr.12331
Subject(s) - cognitive reappraisal , psychology , cognition , stimulus (psychology) , cognitive appraisal , expressive suppression , developmental psychology , cognitive psychology , psychiatry
Abstract In the present study, the experience of fear in various stimulus situations (involving animals, accidents, and violence) and its regulation by the cognitive reappraisal strategy in 46 psychology students was analyzed. The students self‐assessed their experience of fear via questionnaires and a computerized task. In the questionnaires, the intensity of the experience of fear in everyday situations and the frequency of cognitive reappraisal strategy use were measured. In the computer application, photos eliciting fear were presented under two conditions: the first involved experiencing the photos and the continuation of this experience, while the second involved experiencing the photos followed by the use of the cognitive reappraisal strategy. The results confirm differences between the various stimulus situations. When measured with the questionnaires, the most intense fear was reported in situations involving accidents, whereas violence triggered the most intense fear while experiencing the photos. When the students continued to experience a photo, their experience of fear intensified significantly, but when they regulated their experience using cognitive reappraisal, their fear decreased. However, the intensity of the regulated fear was not connected to the frequency of the everyday use of cognitive reappraisal, as reported in the questionnaire. The study confirms the importance of contextual factors when experiencing and regulating fear.