Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

This review explores the complex relationship between Fear of Falling (FoF) and Fear of Heights (FoH), and their impact on human postural control. FoF encompasses a spectrum of psychological and physiological responses that dynamically influence postural control, while FoH involves perceptual distortions and heightened physiological arousal in response to elevated environments. Through a comprehensive literature review, we examine the research methods and findings of studies on FoF and FoH. We further propose that Optimal Feedback Control (OFC) theory is a suitable framework to understand the computational aspects of how these fears modify postural control. We aim to provide a nuanced understanding of FoF and FoH, not only as psychological phenomena but as complex, dynamic interactions of cognitive, physiological, and motor processes influencing an individual's interaction with their environment.