Fear and social comparison.

Schachter (1959) had found a positive relationship between fear and the desire to be with others (affiliation). Schachter concluded, following Festinger (1954), that a person will attempt to reduce cognitive dissonance with regard to his self-picture in terms of information obtainable from others. This investigation attempts to determine the validity of this hypothesis by focusing on the dimension of the intensity of the emotion. "If a person is uncertain as to the intensity of his emotional reaction, he should seek information from others that will help him measure it. To the extent that he has information from others regarding the intensity of their reactions, his desire to be with them prior to the impending experience should be reduced." The hypothesis was supported; however, factors such as sex and order of birth were seen to affect S's reaction to threat. From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4GE86G. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential preference for companionship under threat.

It was hypothesized that Ss under stress are motivated: (a) to evaluate the appropriateness of their emotional behavior, (b) to clarify the ambiguity of the external stimulus situation, (c) to prefer a companion who is expected not to rearouse fear or to exert normative pressures. In a 2 X 2 experimental design, ambiguity was induced by varying the probability that Ss would be subjected to painful shocks. They had the opportunity to talk or not to talk when choosing to wait together. Information was given about the emotional state of the other Ss present. 60 female Ss volunteered. The predictions were confirmed: the greater ambiguity and the opportunity to talk produced a significantly greater tendency to affiliate. All Ss showed the least preference for a highly fearful person. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)