Fearfulness and Affective Evaluations of Pictures

Subjects high and low in temperamental fearfulness made a speeded decision regarding whether each of a series of affective pictures was "unpleasant" or "pleasant." Fearful subjects made faster decisions on unpleasant pictures than did low fear subjects, whereas no difference was found between low and high fear participants when processing pleasant materials. Reaction time differences as a function of fearfulness were amplified when unpleasant pictures were also high in arousal, suggesting that stimulus intensity is a relevant methodological factor when assessing effects of temperament in cognitive processing. Taken together, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that an anxious or fearful temperament is associated with rapid reactions to unpleasant events.