APS
29th APS Annual Convention · 2017
The Harm of “Just in Case”: The Paradoxical Effects of Safety Cues on Threat Inferences, Distress, and Behavior
- Shannon Blakey
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Abstract
Although assumed to be helpful, safety cues might paradoxically elicit, rather than alleviate, anxiety. Results from the two described studies supported a-priori hypotheses that hand sanitizer ironically exacerbates contamination-related inferences of danger, distress, and avoidance. Theoretical and practical implications of the paradoxical effects of safety cues are discussed.
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