Fear alters perception

Fear alters perception
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120222204241.html
In this report, researchers from Ohio State University found that
the more afraid a person is of a spider, the more the perceived
size of the spider is enlarged. The researchers exposed 57
people who self-identified as having a spider phobia to a live
tarantula on 5 different occasions over a period of 8 weeks.
The tarantulas varied in size from 1 to 6 inches and the person
was asked to approach the tank and guide the spider around
with an 8 inch probe. The participants were asked to rate how
afraid they were feeling on a scale of 0-100 as an index of
subjective units of distress. They also rated their specific fear
of spiders, any panic symptoms, and thoughts about fear reduction
on future spider encounters. Then they estimated the size of the
spiders by drawing a single line on an index card without being
able to see the spider. An analysis showed that the higher ratings
of distress were associated with higher over-estimates on
tarantula size. The study was published in the Journal of
Anxiety Disorders.
The researchers are trying to study why phorias persist
and to identify predictors of relapse to better judge when
treatment is completed. It seems like gradually confronting
your fear is a good way to treat a phobia. If you avoid your
fear, you don't get a chance to learn that it really isn't as
bad as you thought.