REDUCTION OF STATE-ANXIETY BY PETTING ANIMALS IN A CONTROLLED LABORATORY EXPERIMENT

The effect on anxiety of petting an animal and the underlying mechanisms of such an effect were examined by a repeated-measures, within-session experiment with 58 non-clinical participants. Participants were exposed to a stressful situation in the laboratory – the presence of a Tarantula spider, which they were told they might be asked to hold – and then randomly assigned to one of five groups: petting a rabbit, a turtle, a toy rabbit, a toy turtle or to a control group. Participants’ attitudes towards animals were measured as potential moderators. State-anxiety was assessed at baseline, after the stress manipulation, and after the experimental manipulation. The main findings showed that petting an animal reduced state-anxiety. This effect could not be attributed to the petting per se, since it was observed only with animals and not with matched toys. The anxiety-reducing effect of petting an animal applied to both the soft cuddly animals and the hard-shelled ones. The anxiety-reducing effect applied to people with different attitudes towards animals and was not restricted to animal lovers. The discussion addresses possible emotional and cognitive foundations of the observed effects and their implications.     

大学生早期适应不良图式、焦虑与拖延的关系

为探讨大学生早期适应不良图式、焦虑与拖延的关系, 并考察焦虑在早期适应不良图式与拖延之间的中介效应, 采用一般拖延量表、Young图式问卷—简版、状态—特质焦虑问卷和自编一般人口学情况调查表, 对广东一高校559名大学生进行调查研究。研究结果发现:(1)"分离和拒绝"、"自主性和能力不足"、"缺乏自控/自律不足"图式均能显著正向预测焦虑和拖延;(2)特质焦虑能显著正向预测拖延, 而状态焦虑对拖延无显著预测作用;(3)特质焦虑在"分离和拒绝"、"自主性和能力不足"、"缺乏自控/自律不足"图式与拖延之间起部分中介作用。