SPD

Wariness Around Spiders

Protective. Served to bias behavior away from spiders, some species of which are deadly.


Class:

I - Natural Selection

Neurolocalization:

Limbic system, esp. amygdala

Neurochem Substrates:

Elicitors:

Spiders; response may generalize to other arachnids or spindly legged arthropods

Outputs:

Sympathetic nervous arousal, fear, avoidance behavior

EPA Total Score: 29/100

Theoretical evidence consists of scientific theories from the evolutionary behavioral and biological sciences (or allied fields), discussion of theoretical selection pressures that may have shaped the EPA, and other theoretical arguments without empirical data. Game theory and computer/AI models also count as theoretical evidence. Well-supported EPAs should appear specially designed by evolution to solve specific adaptive problems throughout human history and could not have simply arisen by chance.

Öhman, A., & Soares, J. J. (1993). On the automatic nature of phobic fear: conditioned electrodermal responses to masked fear-relevant stimuli. Journal of abnormal psychology, 102(1), 121.

Support score: 40 /100

Challenge score: 0 /100

Submitted by: DJGlass

Katkin, E. S., Wiens, S., & Öhman, A. (2001). Nonconscious fear conditioning, visceral perception, and the development of gut feelings. Psychological Science, 12(5), 366-370.

Support score: 30 /100

Challenge score: 0 /100

Submitted by: DJGlass

McNally, R. J. (2002). Disgust has arrived. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 16(5), 561-566.

Support score: 27 /100

Challenge score: 27 /100

Submitted by: DJGlass

Rakison, D. H., & Derringer, J. (2008). Do infants possess an evolved spider-detection mechanism? Cognition 107(1), 381-393.

Support score: 45 /100

Challenge score: 0 /100

Submitted by: DJGlass

Theoretical Subscore: 4/60

Psychological evidence consists of empirical evidence drawn from the human behavioral sciences and consists of data from developmental, behavioral, perceptual, emotional, and cognitive studies, including surveys, experiments, quasi-experiments, and observational data. Well-supported EPAs should show reliable emotional, cognitive, behavioral, or perceptual outcomes under specified conditions.

Öhman, A., & Soares, J. J. (1993). On the automatic nature of phobic fear: conditioned electrodermal responses to masked fear-relevant stimuli. Journal of abnormal psychology, 102(1), 121.

Support score: 40 /100

Challenge score: 0 /100

Submitted by: DJGlass

Carlsson, K., Petersson, K. M., Lundqvist, D., Karlsson, A., Ingvar, M., & Öhman, A. (2004). Fear and the amygdala: manipulation of awareness generates differential cerebral responses to phobic and fear-relevant (but nonfeared) stimuli. Emotion, 4(4), 340.

Support score: 35 /100

Challenge score: 0 /100

Submitted by: DJGlass

Katkin, E. S., Wiens, S., & Öhman, A. (2001). Nonconscious fear conditioning, visceral perception, and the development of gut feelings. Psychological Science, 12(5), 366-370.

Support score: 30 /100

Challenge score: 0 /100

Submitted by: DJGlass

McNally, R. J. (2002). Disgust has arrived. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 16(5), 561-566.

Support score: 30 /100

Challenge score: 0 /100

Submitted by: DJGlass

Rakison, D. H., & Derringer, J. (2008). Do infants possess an evolved spider-detection mechanism? Cognition 107(1), 381-393.

Support score: 30 /100

Challenge score: 0 /100

Submitted by: DJGlass

Psychological Subscore: 60/60

Medical evidence consists of evidence drawn from clinical data, observations, and case studies from disciplines including medicine, clinical psychology, and neuropsychology. Data on mental health, psychiatric disorders, neurological syndromes, epidemiology, physical health and mortality, and nutrition/exercise are all considered medical evidence.

There is currently no submitted Medical evidence to support or challenge the existence of this EPA.

Curators can click here to add some.

Medical Subscore: 0/60

Physiological evidence consists of data pertaining to neuroanatomy, biochemistry, morphology, and other studies of human physiology or brain–behavior relationships. Physiological evidence supportive of EPAs includes neural structures, pathways, neurotransmitters, and so on.

Öhman, A., & Soares, J. J. (1993). On the automatic nature of phobic fear: conditioned electrodermal responses to masked fear-relevant stimuli. Journal of abnormal psychology, 102(1), 121.

Support score: 40 /100

Challenge score: 0 /100

Submitted by: DJGlass

Carlsson, K., Petersson, K. M., Lundqvist, D., Karlsson, A., Ingvar, M., & Öhman, A. (2004). Fear and the amygdala: manipulation of awareness generates differential cerebral responses to phobic and fear-relevant (but nonfeared) stimuli. Emotion, 4(4), 340.

Support score: 40 /100

Challenge score: 0 /100

Submitted by: DJGlass

Katkin, E. S., Wiens, S., & Öhman, A. (2001). Nonconscious fear conditioning, visceral perception, and the development of gut feelings. Psychological Science, 12(5), 366-370.

Support score: 35 /100

Challenge score: 0 /100

Submitted by: DJGlass

Physiological Subscore: 48/60

Cross-cultural evidence consists of anthropological and ethnological data, psychological studies on human universals, and other evidence that compares or contrasts the EPA across different human cultures. Well-supported EPAs should be observable across cultures or vary predictably across cultures based on systematic differences consistent with theory.

There is currently no submitted Cross-Cultural evidence to support or challenge the existence of this EPA.

Curators can click here to add some.

Cross-Cultural Subscore: 0/60

Genetic evidence consists of data from behavioral/population genetics, molecular genetics, gene mapping studies, gene manipulation studies, and so on. Well-supported EPAs may show a genetic basis.

There is currently no submitted Genetic evidence to support or challenge the existence of this EPA.

Curators can click here to add some.

Genetic Subscore: 0/60

Phylogenetic evidence consists of comparative data from nonhuman species, both in the lab and in nature. Data from paleontology, cladistics, ethology, and comparative psychology are all phylogenetic evidence, especially if they show “related” traits in nonhuman species.

There is currently no submitted Phylogenetic evidence to support or challenge the existence of this EPA.

Curators can click here to add some.

Phylogenetic Subscore: 0/60

Hunter–gatherer evidence consists of data on prehistoric, historical, or extant hunter–gatherer cultures. Evidence that hunter–gatherers shared the trait with industrialized contemporary humans is supportive of the EPA, while evidence that the trait is/was not present in hunter–gatherer societies challenges the status of the trait as an EPA.

There is currently no submitted Hunter-Gatherer evidence to support or challenge the existence of this EPA.

Curators can click here to add some.

Hunter-Gatherer Subscore: 0/60