Threat Assessment
Threat Assessment - Related Videos
11:18
Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat
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Cited by 37 •
2014
Potentiation of the startle reflex is measured via electromyography of the orbicularis oculi muscle during low (uncertain) and high (certain) probability electric shock threat in the Threat Probability Task. This provides an objective measure of distinct negative emotional states (fear/anxiety) for research on psychopathology, substance use/abuse, and broad affective science.
02:09
Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
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2020
When we hold a stereotype about a person, we have expectations that he or she will fulfill that stereotype. A self-fulfilling prophecy is an expectation held by a person that alters his or her behavior in a way that tends to make it true. When we hold stereotypes about a person, we tend to treat the person according to our expectations. This treatment can influence the person to act according to our stereotypic expectations, thus confirming our stereotypic beliefs. Research by Rosenthal and...
01:50
Threats to Biodiversity
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2019
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
04:09
Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation to Reduce Responses to Ideological Threats
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2025
Source: Holbrook, C., et al. Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses. J. Vis. Exp. (2018)This video demonstrates the application of continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) to modulate responses to ideological threats. Electromyography (EMG) electrodes record motor signals, while a magnetic coil stimulates the primary motor cortex to determine the active motor threshold (aMT). The coil is then repositioned...
08:25
Measuring Attentional Biases for Threat in Children and Adults
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Cited by 10 •
2014
Here we describe a touch-screen visual search paradigm that can be used to study threat detection across the lifespan. The paradigm has already been used in various studies demonstrating that both children and adults detect threatening stimuli like snakes, spiders, and angry faces faster than non-threatening stimuli.
FAQs
Risk can change as a person’s intent, access to means, situational stressors, history, or protective factors change. A dynamic approach therefore supports continued attention to current circumstances instead of treating an earlier evaluation as permanent. This helps teams adjust communication, safety planning, monitoring, referrals, or supportive interventions when the available information changes.
These factors help clarify how concerning behavior may relate to potential harm in a particular situation. Intent addresses what the person may be trying to do, access to means concerns available opportunity, and situational stressors provide context that can affect risk. Considering them together produces a more informed judgment than relying on diagnosis or demographic characteristics alone.
Protective factors provide information about conditions that may reduce or help manage risk, balancing attention to concerning behaviors and vulnerabilities. Their inclusion prevents assessment from focusing only on warning signs and supports more proportionate planning. In practice, teams can use this fuller picture to guide supportive interventions, communication, and decisions about monitoring or referral.
A team gathers and considers relevant information about behavior, intent, access to means, stressors, history, and protective factors. It then uses the resulting risk judgment to guide communication, safety planning, referral, monitoring, or supportive intervention. The process is not limited to a single professional perspective, because psychologists may work with multidisciplinary teams.
The approach can inform prevention and safety planning in schools, workplaces, healthcare settings, and communities. Depending on the circumstances, its findings may support communication among relevant parties, referral for assistance, ongoing monitoring, or supportive intervention. These applications connect psychological evaluation with practical prevention while allowing responses to remain proportionate to the assessed concern.
It does not treat a diagnosis or demographic characteristic as a stand-alone indicator of future harm. Instead, the process considers behavior, intent, access to means, stressors, history, and protective factors in context. This distinction supports individualized judgment, reduces reliance on broad assumptions, and helps preserve due process and individual rights while addressing safety concerns.