Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026

Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear
Published on: August 24, 2012
Social modulation in extinction of aversive memories
Aleksandra Nowak1, Tomasz Werka, Ewelina Knapska
1Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Science, 3 Pasteur St., 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
Abstract:
Return of fear after extinction is a considerable challenge for the efficacy of exposure-based therapies. Fear recovery is most often modeled in the laboratory by changing the experimental context and studied in isolated animals. Since social context is an important factor affecting behavior, the question arises how it influences the recovery of extinguished fear. Here we present two novel behavioral models that allow studying social modulation of extinction memory retrieval. We show that the presence of a fearful cage mate results in a robust renewal of freezing as well as avoidance responses that were previously successfully extinguished.
Related Concept Videos
Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
Generalization, Discrimination, and Extinction
Generalization occurs when a behavior reinforced in one context is performed in similar situations. For instance, a student who studies diligently for calculus and receives excellent grades might apply the same study habits to psychology and history, expecting similar results. Generalization shows how learning in one setting can influence behavior in...
Principles of Classical Conditioning
During the...
Conditioned Taste Aversion
A notable characteristic of conditioned taste aversion is that it often requires only a single exposure...
Desensitization and Tachyphylaxis
Several...
Classical Conditioning in Daily Life
John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner famously demonstrated the development of fear through classical conditioning in their experiment with Little Albert. They paired the...

