Measuring implicit bias in height-fearful participants with the Approach-Avoidance Task

Height fear might involve dysfunctional, implicit biases in attention and avoidance in the presence of height-related stimuli. The present study used an Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT) for fear of heights to investigate the association between height fear and alterations in attention and approach-avoidance tendencies. The AAT for height-related stimuli assessed individuals' response times when pulling or pushing height-related vs. control images. Self-reported and interview-based measures of height fear were used to measure associations with selective attention and implicit avoidance in a height-related AAT. Self-reported height avoidance was associated with slower responses to height-related images relative to control images, suggesting changes in selective attention for height-related stimuli. A similar pattern of findings was found when using interview-based measures of height fear. We did not find associations between subjective measures of height fear and implicit avoidance bias in the AAT. Our results provide initial support for alterations in selective attention for height-related stimuli in height-fearful individuals. While the AAT may be effective in identifying biased attentional processing, further research is required to draw conclusions about potential avoidance biases in the AAT related to height-fear.