The bigger the threat, the longer the gaze? A cross-cultural study of Somalis and Czechs
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11310%2F23%3A10470348" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11310/23:10470348 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=oi0Zq7EYzA" target="_blank" >https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=oi0Zq7EYzA</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1234593" target="_blank" >10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1234593</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
The bigger the threat, the longer the gaze? A cross-cultural study of Somalis and Czechs
Original language description
High fear reaction, preferential attention, or fast detection are only a few of the specific responses which snakes evoke in humans. Previous research has shown that these responses are shared amongst several distinct cultures suggesting the evolutionary origin of the response. However, populations from sub-Saharan Africa have been largely missing in experimental research focused on this issue. In this paper, we focus on the effect of snake threat display on human spontaneous attention. We performed an eye-tracking experiment with participants from Somaliland and the Czechia and investigated whether human attention is swayed towards snakes in a threatening posture. Seventy-one Somalis and 71 Czechs were tested; the samples were matched for gender and comparable in age structure and education level. We also investigated the effect of snake morphotype as snakes differ in their threat display. We found that snakes in a threatening posture were indeed gazed upon more than snakes in a relaxed (non-threatening) posture. Further, we found a large effect of snake morphotype as this was especially prominent in cobras, less in vipers, and mostly non-significant in other morphotypes. Finally, despite highly different cultural and environmental backgrounds, the overall pattern of reaction towards snakes was similar in Somalis and Czechs supporting the evolutionary origin of the phenomenon. We concluded that human attention is preferentially directed towards snakes, especially cobras and vipers, in threatening postures.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
30103 - Neurosciences (including psychophysiology)
Result continuities
Project
<a href="/en/project/GA20-21608S" target="_blank" >GA20-21608S: A cross-cultural study of response to snakes in the cradle of humankind: Is fear evolutionarily conserved?</a><br>
Continuities
P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)
Others
Publication year
2023
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Frontiers in Psychology
ISSN
1664-1078
e-ISSN
1664-1078
Volume of the periodical
14
Issue of the periodical within the volume
September
Country of publishing house
CH - SWITZERLAND
Number of pages
10
Pages from-to
1234593
UT code for WoS article
001083697300001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-85173706101