In-group affiliation enhances vicarious fear learning in children

This study examined the role of in-group and out-group membership in vicarious fear learning in children. Ninety-two children (46 boys, 46 girls, aged 6-10 years) observed fearful reactions to novel animals (a quokka and a cuscus) from either in-group or out-group models. The in-group and out-group identification were manipulated using McGuire et al.'s (2015) drawing competition task. Fear beliefs and avoidance preferences were measured before and after vicarious learning. Results indicated a significant increase in fear beliefs and avoidance preferences for the fear-paired animal compared to the unpaired animal following in-group modelling, but not following out-group modelling. These findings suggest that in-group affiliation enhances the effects of vicarious fear learning, highlighting the role of social group dynamics in emotional and behavioural responses to fear. Additionally, behavioural inhibition was found to be negatively correlated with fear beliefs and avoidance preferences in the in-group condition, suggesting that participants with higher behavioural inhibition were less fearful of the fear-paired animals, and showed less avoidance of the fear-paired animal. The study contributes to our understanding of how social identity can shape fear acquisition in children.