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{{short description|Evolutionary
[[File:Vipera_aspis_aspis.jpg|thumb|alt=Vipera Aspis.|
The '''
According to the
recognize them, improving their survival chances and therefore transferring such skill to their offspring. From this point of view, snakes were responsible for the modification and expansion of primate visual systems which made [[visual perception|vision]] the most developed sensory interface with the external environment for modern primates.
In her book ''The Fruit, the Tree, and the Serpent'' (2009),<ref>{{cite book|last1=Isbell|first1=Lynne A.|title=The Fruit, the Tree, and the Serpent|date=2009|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yKzIuw4YBCoC&
The concept of snakes being a special threat to humans has been confirmed by population-based studies. [[Ophidiophobia]] (phobia of snakes) is one of the most common and intense phobias among the general population. Furthermore, a study reported that around 50% of
== Empirical studies ==
Many empirical studies have found evidence for the theory.
Regardless, in experiments, images of snakes have been detected more rapidly than other fear-relevant stimuli: empirical studies have shown that snakes are more rapidly detected than [[spiders]].
Snake stimuli are particularly distracting during perceptual tasks, suggesting that the brain preferentially processes snake stimuli, even when attentional processes are demanded by other targets.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Soares|first1=Sandra C.|title=The lurking snake in the grass: interference of snake stimuli in visually taxing conditions|journal=Evolutionary Psychology|date=15 April 2012|volume=10|issue=2|pages=187–197|pmid=22947633|issn=1474-7049}}</ref>▼
▲Snake stimuli are particularly distracting during perceptual tasks, suggesting that the brain preferentially processes snake stimuli, even when attentional processes are demanded by other targets.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Soares|first1=Sandra C.|title=The lurking snake in the grass: interference of snake stimuli in visually taxing conditions|journal=Evolutionary Psychology|date=15 April 2012|volume=10|issue=2|pages=187–197|doi=10.1177/147470491201000202|pmid=22947633|s2cid=34814663|issn=1474-7049|doi-access=free|hdl=10316/102719|hdl-access=free|pmc=10481044}}</ref>
Enhanced snake detection has also been found in young children.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=LoBue|first1=Vanessa|last2=DeLoache|first2=Judy S.|title=Detecting the Snake in the Grass: Attention to Fear-Relevant Stimuli by Adults and Young Children|journal=Psychological Science|date=1 March 2008|volume=19|issue=3|pages=284–289|doi=10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02081.x|pmid=18315802|s2cid=12776572|language=en|issn=0956-7976}}</ref>
Brain imaging investigations have found further evidence for the theory. Support for the idea of a high visual sensitivity to snakes has been proven in primate neural activity in response to snake threats.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Van Le|first1=Quan|last2=Isbell|first2=Lynne A.|last3=Matsumoto|first3=Jumpei|last4=Nguyen|first4=Minh|last5=Hori|first5=Etsuro|last6=Maior|first6=Rafael S.|last7=Tomaz|first7=Carlos|last8=Tran|first8=Anh Hai|last9=Ono|first9=Taketoshi|last10=Nishijo|first10=Hisao|title=Pulvinar neurons reveal neurobiological evidence of past selection for rapid detection of snakes|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America|date=19 November 2013|volume=110|issue=47|pages=19000–19005|doi=10.1073/pnas.1312648110|pmid=24167268|issn=1091-6490|pmc=3839741|bibcode=2013PNAS..11019000V|doi-access=free}}</ref> Non-invasive electroencephalogram ([[EEG]]) studies have found an enhanced visual brain activity in response to images of snakes in humans.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Van Strien|first1=J. W.|last2=Eijlers|first2=R.|last3=Franken|first3=I. H. A.|last4=Huijding|first4=J.|title=Snake pictures draw more early attention than spider pictures in non-phobic women: evidence from event-related brain potentials|journal=Biological Psychology|date=2014|volume=96|pages=150–157|doi=10.1016/j.biopsycho.2013.12.014|pmid=24374241|issn=1873-6246|url=http://repub.eur.nl/pub/51065|hdl=1765/51065|s2cid=16106346|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Van Strien|first1=Jan W.|last2=Franken|first2=Ingmar H. A.|last3=Huijding|first3=Jorg|title=Testing the snake-detection hypothesis: larger early posterior negativity in humans to pictures of snakes than to pictures of other reptiles, spiders and slugs|journal=Frontiers in Human Neuroscience|date=2014|volume=8|pages=691|doi=10.3389/fnhum.2014.00691|pmid=25237303|pmc=4154444|issn=1662-5161|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Van Strien|first1=Jan W.|last2=Christiaans|first2=Gerwin|last3=Franken|first3=Ingmar H. A.|last4=Huijding|first4=Jorg|title=Curvilinear shapes and the snake detection hypothesis: An ERP study|journal=Psychophysiology|date=2016|volume=53|issue=2|pages=252–257|doi=10.1111/psyp.12564|pmid=26481589|hdl=1874/322508 |issn=1540-5958|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=He|first1=Hongshen|last2=Kubo|first2=Kenta|last3=Kawai|first3=Nobuyuki|title=Spiders do not evoke greater early posterior negativity in the event-related potential as snakes|journal=NeuroReport|date=10 September 2014|volume=25|issue=13|pages=1049–1053|doi=10.1097/WNR.0000000000000227|pmid=25026534|s2cid=27839800|issn=1473-558X}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Grassini|first1=Simone|last2=Holm|first2=Suvi K.|last3=Railo|first3=Henry|last4=Koivisto|first4=Mika|title=Who is afraid of the invisible snake? Subjective visual awareness modulates posterior brain activity for evolutionarily threatening stimuli|journal=Biological Psychology|date=2016|volume=121|issue=Pt A|pages=53–61|doi=10.1016/j.biopsycho.2016.10.007|pmid=27760371|s2cid=9516831|issn=1873-6246}}</ref>
== References ==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Evolution of primates]]
[[Category:Snakes]]
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