Full metadata
Title
Climate as a moderator of the effect of disease threat on interpersonal behavior
Description
Infectious diseases have been a major threat to survival throughout human history. Humans have developed a behavioral immune system to prevent infection by causing individuals to avoid people, food, and objects that could be contaminated. This current project investigates how ambient temperature affects the activation of this system. Because temperature is positively correlated with the prevalence of many deadly diseases, I predict that temperature moderates the behavioral immune system, such that a disease prime will have a stronger effect in a hot environment compared to a neutral environment and one's avoidant behaviors will be more extreme. Participants were placed in a hot room (M = 85F) or a neutral room (M = 77F) and shown a disease prime slide show or a neutral slide show. Disgust sensitivity and perceived vulnerability surveys were used to measure an increased perceived risk to disease. A taste test between a disgusting food item (gummy bugs) and a neutral food item (gummy animals) measured food avoidance. There was no significant avoidance of the gummy and no significant difference in ratings of disgust sensitivity or perceived vulnerability as a function of temperature conditions. There were no significant interactions between temperature and disease. The conclusion is that this study did not provide evidence that temperature moderates the effect of disease cues on behavior.
Date Created
2012
Contributors
- Osborne, Elizabeth (Author)
- Cohen, Adam B. (Thesis advisor)
- Kwan, Sau (Committee member)
- Neuberg, Steven (Committee member)
- Arizona State University (Publisher)
Topical Subject
Resource Type
Extent
vii, 142 p. : ill. (some col.)
Language
Copyright Statement
In Copyright
Primary Member of
Peer-reviewed
No
Open Access
No
Handle
https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.14693
Statement of Responsibility
by Elizabeth Osborne
Description Source
Viewed on Nov. 6, 2012
Level of coding
full
Note
Partial requirement for: M.A., Arizona State University, 2012
Note type
thesis
Includes bibiliographical references (p. 51-55)
Note type
bibliography
Field of study: Psychology
System Created
- 2012-08-24 06:19:45
System Modified
- 2021-08-30 01:47:50
- 2 years 8 months ago
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