Disgust as a motivator of avoidance of spiders

Abstract

Individuals with small animal phobias show elevated general disgust sensitivity, and spider phobics often endorse both fear and disgust in response to a spider. Some researchers have argued that the link between disgust and fear of small animals is spurious. On the other hand, disgust may play a functional role, as might any negative emotion that is strongly stimulus-bound, in which escape or avoidance is negatively reinforced. It is therefore important to clarify whether disgust has a functional or epiphenomenal role in avoidance of feared stimuli. The present study examined the degree to which disgust motivates avoidance of spider-related stimuli using a series of behavioral avoidance tests comparing a harmless tarantula, a pen that had come in contact with the spider, and a clean pen. Peak disgust was a stronger predictor than anxiety of avoidance of both the spider and the “contaminated” pen.