The role of expectancy and physiological feedback in fear research: A review with special reference to subject characteristics

Review of the expectancy literature in fear research indicates that a subject characteristic of intensity of fear is related to whether demand characteristic effects confound treatment effects. Review of physiological feedback studies suggests the potentially important role of physiological cues in maintaining and/or modifying fear behavior. Together, the two areas indicate that more research effort should be devoted to (a) the interaction of motoric, verbal, and physiological components of fear and (b) the role of individual differences, particularly at the physiological level, in those components and their modification.