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Updated: Dec 17, 2025
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Investigating Pain-Related Avoidance Behavior using a Robotic Arm-Reaching Paradigm
Published on: October 3, 2020
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Induction of conditioned avoidance via mental imagery.
Angelos-Militaris Krypotos1, Gaëtan Mertens1, Arne Leer1
1Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands.
Behaviour Research and Therapy
|June 23, 2020
Summary
Mental imagery can induce avoidance behavior, a key symptom in anxiety disorders. Imagining a neutral stimulus paired with a shock led to avoidance, even without actual shock exposure.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Anxiety-related disorders are increasingly linked to mental imagery.
- Avoidance behavior is a core symptom across various anxiety disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if mental imagery can induce avoidance behavior.
- To explore the role of mental imagery in the acquisition of avoidance responses.
Main Methods:
- Participants underwent a conditioning procedure associating stimulus A with shock.
- Behavioral avoidance (button press) was trained for stimulus A.
- Experiment 1: Participants imagined stimulus B followed by shock.
- Experiment 2: Participants viewed stimulus B and imagined the shock.
- Test phase: Avoidance responses to stimuli A, B, and C were measured.
Main Results:
- Participants showed avoidance behavior towards stimulus B in Experiment 1.
- No avoidance behavior towards stimulus B was observed in Experiment 2.
- Avoidance was induced through mental imagery without direct shock association in Experiment 1.
Conclusions:
- Mental imagery can acquire the capacity to elicit avoidance responses.
- Findings suggest a mechanism for how innocuous stimuli can become triggers for avoidance in anxiety disorders.
- This research provides insights into the cognitive mechanisms underlying anxiety and phobias.
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