Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 30, 2026
13:38
Fear Incubation Using an Extended Fear-Conditioning Protocol for Rats
Published on: August 22, 2020
Body temperature as a conditional response measure for pavlovian fear conditioning
B P Godsil1, J J Quinn, M S Fanselow
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1563, USA. godsil@lifesci.ucla.edu
Learning & Memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.)
|October 21, 2000
Summary
Rats learned to associate a context with an electric shock, showing fear responses like freezing and defecation. Body temperature also rose significantly in the feared environment, indicating its use as a fear conditioning measure.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Psychology
- Animal Models
Background:
- Pavlovian fear conditioning is a fundamental learning process.
- Traditional measures of fear include freezing and autonomic responses.
- Investigating novel physiological markers for fear conditioning is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if body temperature elevation can serve as a measurable outcome in Pavlovian fear conditioning.
- To assess if rats can discriminate between contexts associated with shock and safety.
- To explore the role of associative learning in temperature changes during fear conditioning.
Main Methods:
- Rats were exposed to two distinct contexts over six days.
- One context was paired with an electric footshock (unconditional stimulus), the other was neutral.
- Post-conditioning, rats were tested in both contexts without shock, with freezing, defecation, and rectal temperature recorded.
Main Results:
- Rats exhibited significantly more freezing and defecation in the shock-paired context compared to the neutral context.
- A notable and significant elevation in rectal temperature was observed in the shock-paired environment.
- These behavioral and physiological responses indicate successful context discrimination and fear learning.
Conclusions:
- Rats demonstrate associative learning, linking a specific context with an aversive stimulus (footshock).
- Elevated body temperature serves as a reliable conditional response measure in Pavlovian fear conditioning.
- This finding supports the use of thermoregulatory changes as an objective indicator of learned fear.
Related Concept Videos
01:43Thermosensation
Peripheral thermosensation is the perception of external temperature. A change in temperature (on the surface of the skin and other tissues) is detected by a family of temperature-sensitive ion channels called Transient Receptor Potential, or TRP, receptors. These receptors are located on free nerve endings. Those detecting cold temperatures are closer to the surface of the skin than the nerve endings detecting warmth. These thermoTRP channels, while temperature selective, have relatively...
02:45Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
01:25Body Temperature
The body's temperature, measured in degrees, is determined by the balance between heat production and dissipation to the surrounding environment. For instance, if exercising vigorously, the body will produce more heat, causing sweat and dissipating that heat. Despite extreme environmental conditions and physical exertion, the human temperature-control system maintains a constant core body temperature (the temperature of deep tissues, which are the tissues located beneath the skin and other...
01:07Body Temperature
Body temperature reflects the equilibrium between heat production and heat loss within the body. Most heat is generated by metabolically active tissues, particularly the liver, heart, brain, kidneys, and endocrine organs. At rest, skeletal muscles contribute 20–30% of total heat production, but during vigorous exercise, this can increase up to 30–40 times.
The average body temperature is approximately 37°C (98.6°F) and typically ranges from 36.1–37.2°C (97–99°F), remaining relatively stable...
The average body temperature is approximately 37°C (98.6°F) and typically ranges from 36.1–37.2°C (97–99°F), remaining relatively stable...
01:18Classical Conditioning
Associative learning, a core principle in behavioral psychology, involves forming connections between events and facilitating learned responses. This concept is vividly illustrated by classical conditioning, a process extensively studied by the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov's pioneering research on dogs' digestive systems led to the discovery that behaviors can be learned through association, laying the groundwork for classical conditioning.
Ivan Pavlov observed that dogs salivated...
Ivan Pavlov observed that dogs salivated...
01:17Classical Conditioning in Daily Life
Classical conditioning, a fundamental principle of associative learning, explains various phenomena observed in daily life, such as fear development, the placebo effect, taste aversion, and drug habituation. These applications demonstrate the profound impact of associative learning on human behavior and physiological responses.
John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner famously demonstrated the development of fear through classical conditioning in their experiment with Little Albert. They paired the...
John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner famously demonstrated the development of fear through classical conditioning in their experiment with Little Albert. They paired the...