Generalization of extinction with a generalization stimulus is determined by learnt threat beliefs.

ABSTRACT: Expectancy violation refers to the mismatch between an expected and the actual outcome. Maximizing expectancy violation is crucial for exposure-based treatment. Since the original stimulus of fear acquisition (CS+) is rarely available, stimuli that resemble the CS+ (generalization stimuli; GSs) are presented during treatment. A given GS may evoke either strong or weak generalized fear depending on an individual's threat beliefs. Presenting this GS in extinction would then evoke different levels of expectancy violation, which determines the strength of the subsequent generalization of extinction to other stimuli, including the CS+. After differential fear conditioning, participants exhibited discrete generalization gradients depending on their inferred relational rules (Linear vs Similarity

SUBMITTER: Wong AHK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7581402 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature