Studying the relationship between emotion and height perception in naturalistic settings

摘要: This study analyzed the relationship between emotion and the perception of heights, in naturalistic settings, where participants would experience more fear and anxiety than could be evoked in the laboratory. Previous research has shown that people overestimate height more from the top than the bottom, especially when they are afraid of heights (Stefanucci & Proffitt, 2007). Participants in this study were 19 college students enrolled in an outdoor adventure course (experiment group) and 20 college students not enrolled in the class (control group). At various points in the semester, participants in the experiment group flew across a lake on a zip line and rappelled off of a four-story parking garage while secured by a harness. The procedure for the experiment and control group was matched except that participants in the experiment group actually jumped from the heights. Participants in both groups completed …