Generalized expectancy of threat in threatening compared to safe contexts.

ABSTRACT: Fear of threatening contexts often generalizes to similar safe contexts, but few studies have investigated how contextual information influences cue generalization. In this study, we explored whether fear responses to cues would generalize more broadly in a threatening compared to a safe context. Forty-seven participants underwent a differential cue-in-context conditioning protocol followed by a generalization test, while we recorded psychophysiological and subjective responses. Two faces appeared on a computer screen in two contexts. One face (CS+) in the threat context (CTX+) was followed by a female scream 80% of the time, while another face (CS-) was not reinforced. No faces were reinforced in the safe context (CTX-). In the generalization test, the CSs and four morphs varying in simil

SUBMITTER: Aslanidou A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11711681 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature