Bennett-Levy And Marteau (1984) Findings And Conclusions

Front 1

Finding and conclusion 1

Back 1

The rat was the most feared animal (rated 2.08) and the animal they wanted to be farthest from (3.90).
The dislike of the rat may be due to the fact that rats carry disease and therefore an innate fear of rats who be linked to survival.

Front 2

Finding and conclusion 2

Back 2

The slug was considered to be the ugliest (2.63) and the slimiest (2.90).
The dislike of the slug may be because it looks very different from the human form.

Front 3

Finding and conclusion 3

Back 3

The lizard was considered to be the speediest (2.53) and to move suddenly (2.78).
The lizard was considered to be speediest and to move suddenly, this suggests that it would be perhaps difficult to escape this animal.

Front 4

Finding and conclusion 4

Back 4

There was a correlation of 0.90 between fear and nearness.
We can conclude that there is a very strong positive correlation between fear and nearness.

Front 5

Finding and conclusion 5

Back 5

Speediness and sudden movement are highly correlated.
This finding might suggest there is a strong relationship between speediness and sudden movement or it may mean that it was difficult for participants to distinguish between these two characteristics.

Front 6

Finding and conclusion 6

Back 6

All four ratings of perceptual characteristics (ugliness, sliminess, speediness and suddenness) were related to both fear and nearness.
This suggests that these perceptual characteristics are factors that we may consider to be significant in making judgements about animals and their potential harmfulness.