Costly avoidance of Pavlovian fear stimuli and the temporal dynamics of its decision process.

ABSTRACT: Conflicts between avoiding feared stimuli versus approaching them for competing rewards are essential for functional behavior and anxious psychopathology. Yet, little is known about the underlying decision process. We examined approach-avoidance decisions and their temporal dynamics when avoiding Pavlovian fear stimuli conflicted with gaining rewards. First, a formerly neutral stimulus (CS+) was repeatedly paired with an aversive stimulus (US) to establish Pavlovian fear. Another stimulus (CS-) was never paired with the US. A control group received neutral tones instead of aversive USs. Next, in each of 324 trials, participants chose between a CS-/low reward and a CS+/high reward option. For the latter, probability of CS+ presentation (Pavlovian fear information) and reward magnitude (rewa

SUBMITTER: Boschet JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9023480 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature