Bennett-Levy and Marteau (1984)

Aim
To see whether we are more afraid of animals that move quickly, move suddenly, and look very different from people.

Procedure
Used 2 questionnaires, asking about the same 29 animals. Participants were told that none of the animals were harmful. Questionnaire 1 asked about fear of animals and how close the person would like to get to them. Questionnaire 2 measured how the participants felt about each animal. Some participants were also interviewed.

Findings/Results
Most feared animals were rat, cockroach, jellyfish, spider and slug. These animals were rated as more ugly, more slimy, and moved more quickly and suddenly. Overall people were less likely to approach ugly or slimy, speedy or sudden animals. They were more afraid of these animals

Conclusion
Features of ugliness, sliminess, speediness and sudden movement all make animals more frightening. Many animals which cause phobias look like this, which supports the idea that preparedness relates to an animal’s feature. It supports that preparedness causes phobias.