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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science pp 1–4Cite as

Predators as Attention-Grabbing

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Synonyms

Attentional capture; Delayed disengagement; Fitness-relevant; Predator detection; Survival-relevant; Threat detection

Definition

The fast, seemingly automatic detection of threatening words and images, coupled with delayed disengagement from their location and more durable memories of threat-relevant information.

Introduction

At the intersection between emotion and the evolutionary and cognitive psychology literatures lies a powerful adaptation: the seemingly automatic attentional capture of threatening stimuli in one’s environment. For example, angry faces are quickly spotted among happy ones, and snakes and spiders are easily detected among neutral backgrounds of flowers, mushrooms, and nonthreatening animals. The current review discusses common findings with these visual search and attentional cuing tasks, with a special emphasis on the mechanisms underlying attentional capture. Recent findings from the related adaptive memory literature also suggest that effects associated...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Counseling and Psychology, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN, USA

    Stephanie A. Kazanas

  2. Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA

    Jeanette Altarriba

Authors
  1. Stephanie A. Kazanas
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  2. Jeanette Altarriba
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephanie A. Kazanas .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada

    Doug P. VanderLaan

  2. Child, Youth and Family Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Doug P. VanderLaan

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Kazanas, S.A., Altarriba, J. (2018). Predators as Attention-Grabbing. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_638-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_638-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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