Work

Conceptual similarity promotes generalization of higher order fear learning

Year: 2011

Type: preprint

Abstract: We tested the hypothesis that conceptual similarity promotes generalization of conditioned fear. Using a sensory preconditioning procedure, three groups of subjects learned an association between two cues that were conceptually similar, unrelated, or mismatched. Next, one of the cues was paired with a shock. The other cue was then reintroduced to test for fear generalization, as measured by the skin conductance response. Results showed enhanced fear generalization that correlated with trait anxiety levels in the group that learned an association between conceptually similar stimuli. These findings suggest that conceptual representations of conditional stimuli influence human fear learning processes.

Source: Learning & Memory

DOI: 10.1101/lm.2016411

Authors: Joseph E. Dunsmoor, Allison J. White, Kevin S. LaBar

Institution: Duke University

Language: English

Topic: Memory and Neural Mechanisms

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Awards: Emotional Modulation of Procedural Learning, Human Functional Brain Anatomy