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Languages and Psychotherapy: The Effect of Foreign Language on Fear Extinction
Isabel Ortigosa-Beltrán1, Jon A Duñabeitia, Víctor Costumero
1Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
Psicothema
|January 25, 2023
Summary
Fear extinction is equally effective in a foreign language as in a native language. This study explored the foreign language effect on fear extinction, finding no significant differences between groups.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Foreign language use can impact emotional regulation.
- The effect of foreign languages on psychotherapy processes, particularly fear extinction, remains under-explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of using a foreign language on the process of fear extinction.
- To determine if the linguistic context affects the effectiveness of fear extinction.
Main Methods:
- Participants underwent a fear conditioning phase associating neutral stimuli with threat, performing a task in their native language.
- During extinction, participants performed the same task in either their native or foreign language, with threat cues removed.
- Fear levels were measured via self-reports, pupil dilation, and electrodermal activity.
Main Results:
- Fear extinction was successful, evidenced by reduced fear responses during the extinction phase compared to conditioning.
- While the foreign language group exhibited higher overall arousal, fear extinction efficacy was comparable across native and foreign language conditions.
- No significant differences in fear extinction were observed based on the language used during the extinction phase.
Conclusions:
- Verbal instructions for fear extinction are equally effective whether delivered in a native or foreign language.
- Further research using basic paradigms with potential clinical applications is warranted to explore the role of foreign languages in psychological processes.
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