TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2014//
TI  - The persistence of socially instructed threat: two threat-of-shock studies
JO  - Psychophysiology
A1  - Bublatzky, Florian
A1  - Gerdes, Antje B. M.
A1  - Alpers, Georg W.
SP  - 1005
EP  - 1014
VL  - 51
IS  - 10
N2  - Learning to anticipate threat is crucial in guiding protective behavior. In classical conditioning, single trial learning can result in long-lasting fear associations. To examine whether threat learned through social communication is equally stable, an instructed fear paradigm was used with two repeated sessions on 1 day (Study 1; N = 43) and with separate sessions on 3 consecutive days (Study 2; N = 30). Startle EMG, skin conductance level (SCL), and self-report data were recorded during alternating periods of instructed threat and safety. Within 1 day, threat-potentiated startle was present across sessions but threat-enhanced SCL decreased (Study 1). Across days, threat effects subsided with different timing for startle EMG, SCL, and self-report (Study 2). The present findings are a laboratory analog for the persistence of socially transmitted fear, which can be amazingly resistant to extinction (e.g., in specific phobias) even in the absence of aversive experiences.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0048-5772
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/psyp.12251
ID  - ref1
ER  -