All

What are you looking for?

All
Projects
Results
Organizations

Quick search

  • Projects supported by TA ČR
  • Excellent projects
  • Projects with the highest public support
  • Current projects

Smart search

  • That is how I find a specific +word
  • That is how I leave the -word out of the results
  • “That is how I can find the whole phrase”

Are vipers prototypic fear-evoking snakes? A cross-cultural comparison 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%3A10471253" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11310/23:10471253 - isvavai.cz</a>

  • Result on the web

    <a href="https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=3XwMdEaks" target="_blank" >https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=3XwMdEaks</a>

  • DOI - Digital Object Identifier

    <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1233667" target="_blank" >10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1233667</a>

Alternative languages

  • Result language

    angličtina

  • Original language name

    Are vipers prototypic fear-evoking snakes? A cross-cultural comparison of Somalis and Czechs

  • Original language description

    Snakes are known as highly fear-evoking animals, eliciting preferential attention and fast detection in humans. We examined the human fear response to snakes in the context of both current and evolutionary experiences, conducting our research in the cradle of humankind, the Horn of Africa. This region is characterized by the frequent occurrence of various snake species, including deadly venomous viperids (adders) and elapids (cobras and mambas). We conducted experiments in Somaliland and compared the results with data from Czech respondents to address the still unresolved questions: To which extent is human fear of snakes affected by evolutionary or current experience and local culture? Can people of both nationalities recognize venomous snakes as a category, or are they only afraid of certain species that are most dangerous in a given area? Are respondents of both nationalities equally afraid of deadly snakes from both families (Viperidae, Elapidae)? We employed a well-established picture-sorting approach, consisting of 48 snake species belonging to four distinct groups. Our results revealed significant agreement among Somali as well as Czech respondents. We found a highly significant effect of the stimulus on perceived fear in both populations. Vipers appeared to be the most salient stimuli in both populations, as they occupied the highest positions according to the reported level of subjectively perceived fear. The position of vipers strongly contrasts with the fear ranking of deadly venomous elapids, which were in lower positions. Fear scores of vipers were significantly higher in both populations, and their best predictor was the body width of the snake. The evolutionary, cultural, and cognitive aspects of this phenomenon are discussed.

  • Czech name

  • Czech description

Classification

  • Type

    J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

  • CEP classification

  • 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

    October

  • Country of publishing house

    CH - SWITZERLAND

  • Number of pages

    18

  • Pages from-to

    1233667

  • UT code for WoS article

    001091916500001

  • EID of the result in the Scopus database

    2-s2.0-85175659452