Biomaterial Database

Effects of instruction on acquisition and extinction of electrodermal responses to fear-relevant stimuli. 1977

K Hugdahl, and A Ohman

In the present study we examined the hypothesis that electrodermal responses conditioned to fear-relevant stimuli are insensitive to verbal instructions. In the first experiment, different groups of subjects were conditioned to fear-relevant and fear-irrelevant control stimuli in a long interstimulus interval differential paradigm with shock as the unconditioned stimulus. Then half of the subjects were informed that no more shocks would be presented, and a number of extinction trials followed. The instruction completely abolished responding to fear-irrelevant stimuli, while leaving responses to the fear-relevant stimuli unaffected. In the second experiment, subjects were "conditioned" to fear-relevant or irrelevant stimuli by an instruction involving threat of shock. This manipulation potentiated potentiated responses to fear-relevant stimuli significantly more than responses to fear-irrelevant stimuli. Thus, instruction had a symmetrical effect on acquisition and extinction to fear-irrelevant stimuli, whereas it facilitated acquisition but was ineffective in reducing responding to the other class of stimuli. These results are related to a preparedness theory, and their relevance for an understanding of phobias is discussed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D010698	Phobic Disorders	Anxiety disorders in which the essential feature is persistent and irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that the individual feels compelled to avoid. The individual recognizes the fear as excessive or unreasonable.	Claustrophobia,Neuroses, Phobic,Phobia, School,Phobias,Phobic Neuroses,Scolionophobia,Disorder, Phobic,Phobia,Phobic Disorder,School Phobia
D003213	Conditioning, Psychological	Simple form of learning involving the formation, strengthening, or weakening of an association between a stimulus and a response.	Conditioning, Psychology,Psychological Conditioning,Social Learning Theory,Social Learning Theories,Theory, Social Learning
D003216	Conditioning, Operant	Learning situations in which the sequence responses of the subject are instrumental in producing reinforcement. When the correct response occurs, which involves the selection from among a repertoire of responses, the subject is immediately reinforced.	Instrumental Learning,Learning, Instrumental,Operant Conditioning,Conditionings, Operant,Instrumental Learnings,Learnings, Instrumental,Operant Conditionings
D004597	Electroshock	Induction of a stress reaction in experimental subjects by means of an electrical shock; applies to either convulsive or non-convulsive states.	Electroconvulsive Shock,Electroconvulsive Shocks,Electroshocks,Shock, Electroconvulsive,Shocks, Electroconvulsive
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
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