Nonconscious associative learning: Pavlovian conditioning of skin conductance responses to masked fear-relevant facial stimuli. 1994

F Esteves, and C Parra, and U Dimberg, and A Ohman
Department of Clinical Psychology, Uppsala University, Sweden.

We examined the possibility of nonconscious associative learning in a context of skin conductance conditioning, using emotional facial expressions as stimuli. In the first experiment, subjects were conditioned to a backwardly masked angry face that was followed by electric shock, with a masked happy face as the nonreinforced stimulus. In spite of the effectively masked conditioned stimuli, differential conditioned skin conductance responses were observed in a subsequent nonmasked extinction phase. This effect could not be attributed to differential sensitization or pseudo-conditioning. In the second experiment, the differential responding during extinction was replicated with angry but not with happy faces as conditioned stimuli. It was concluded that with fear-relevant facial expressions as the conditioned stimulus, associative learning was possible even in conditions where the subjects remained unaware of the conditioned stimulus and its relationship to the unconditioned stimulus.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D003071 Cognition Intellectual or mental process whereby an organism obtains knowledge. Cognitive Function,Cognitions,Cognitive Functions,Function, Cognitive,Functions, Cognitive
D003214 Conditioning, Classical Learning that takes place when a conditioned stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus. Reflex, Conditioned,Classical Conditioning,Classical Conditionings,Conditioned Reflex,Conditionings, Classical
D004644 Emotions Those affective states which can be experienced and have arousing and motivational properties. Feelings,Regret,Emotion,Feeling,Regrets
D005108 Extinction, Psychological The procedure of presenting the conditioned stimulus without REINFORCEMENT to an organism previously conditioned. It refers also to the diminution of a conditioned response resulting from this procedure. Psychological Extinction,Extinction (Psychology),Extinctions (Psychology),Extinctions, Psychological,Psychological Extinctions
D005149 Facial Expression Observable changes of expression in the face in response to emotional stimuli. Face Expression,Expression, Face,Expression, Facial,Face Expressions,Facial Expressions
D005239 Fear The affective response to an actual current external danger which subsides with the elimination of the threatening condition. Threat Cues,Threat Sensitivity,Cue, Threat,Fears,Sensitivity, Threat,Threat Cue,Threat Sensitivities
D005260 Female Females
D005712 Galvanic Skin Response A change in electrical resistance of the skin, occurring in emotion and in certain other conditions. Electric Conductance, Skin,Electrodermal Response,Reflex, Psychogalvanic,Skin Electric Conductance,Conductance, Skin Electric,Conductances, Skin Electric,Electric Conductances, Skin,Electrodermal Responses,Galvanic Skin Responses,Psychogalvanic Reflex,Response, Electrodermal,Response, Galvanic Skin,Responses, Electrodermal,Responses, Galvanic Skin,Skin Response, Galvanic,Skin Responses, Galvanic
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man

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