Context-dependency of vicarious extinction learning

It is well documented that the fear of specific stimuli and situations can be acquired through the social observation of the actions of another person. In contrast, it is still a matter of debate, whether processes related to fear attenuation, extinction, and extinction-retrieval can equally be achieved through social observation after de novo fear conditioning.

Here, we used a differential fear conditioning procedure and investigated whether the variation of the context of video-based vicarious extinction learning (VEL) will affect subsequent extinction learning and extinction-retrieval. Conditioned fear acquisition, extinction, and extinction-retrieval was measured using psychophysiological (skin conductance responses) and subjective measures (CS-UCS contingency ratings and CS-valence ratings).

Participants showed enhanced fear extinction learning after VEL as compared to controls. VEL improved extinction learning relative to controls but appeared to be highly context-dependent. The beneficial effect of VEL on subsequent extinction learning was abolished when the context in which the model was performing in the video was different from the context in which the observer performed all stages of the experiment.

Data were obtained in a non-clinical sample which does not permit the extrapolation of findings to clinical populations.

Our results suggests that safety information derived from VEL promotes fear extinction when model and observer perform the experiment in the same context. Given that fear extinction is considered as an experimental proxy of exposure therapy, our findings might be instructive for the development of novel clinical interventions to promote exposure treatment efficacy.