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Do Expectancies Mediate The Relationship Between Sensitivities And Fearfulness?: An Alternative To Reiss' Expectancy Theory, Scott David Mcdonald
Do Expectancies Mediate The Relationship Between Sensitivities And Fearfulness?: An Alternative To Reiss' Expectancy Theory, Scott David Mcdonald
Theses and Dissertations
This paper tests Reiss' (1991) expectancy theory of fearfulness. Reiss' moderation model of fears speculates that individual differences in fearfulness and phobic avoidance is a function of the interaction between trait vulnerabilities (i.e., sensitivities) and beliefs about potential outcomes during exposure to phobic stimuli (i.e., expectancies). Four hundred and forty-five undergraduates completed questionnaires related to Reiss' fundamental sensitivities (e.g., "anxiety sensitivity"), expectancies (e.g., "expectancy of physical injury or harm") and the intensity of common fears. Informed by findings concerning fear-related outcome expectancies, a system for measuring expectancies was developed for this study called the Focus of Apprehension Survey Schedule (FASS). …