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Measuring Pavlovian appetitive conditioning in humans with the postauricular reflex
Yoann Stussi1,2, Sylvain Delplanque1,2, Seline Coraj2
1Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Psychophysiology
|March 11, 2018
Summary
The postauricular reflex, a subtle muscle response, effectively indicates appetitive conditioning in humans. This finding offers a new way to study emotional learning and its mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Physiology
Background:
- Appetitive conditioning, crucial for survival and well-being, is understudied in humans.
- Existing research faces challenges due to difficulties in finding suitable appetitive stimuli and sensitive psychophysiological measures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the postauricular reflex as a sensitive psychophysiological indicator of human appetitive conditioning.
- To explore the potential of the postauricular reflex in understanding emotional learning.
Main Methods:
- A delay differential appetitive conditioning procedure was employed.
- Participants were exposed to a neutral stimulus paired with a pleasant odor (CS+) or a neutral stimulus alone (CS-).
- The postauricular reflex, startle eyeblink reflex, and skin conductance response (SCR) were measured.
Main Results:
- The postauricular reflex showed significant potentiation to the CS+ compared to the CS-, indicating successful conditioning.
- This potentiation extinguished when the pleasant odor was removed.
- No significant effects were observed for the startle eyeblink reflex or SCR.
Conclusions:
- The postauricular reflex is a sensitive and valid measure for human appetitive conditioning.
- This reflex offers a valuable tool for future research into the mechanisms of emotional learning.
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