The Ontogeny of the Generalization of Avoidance Behavior

The developmental trajectory of the generalization of avoidance has received limited research attention, despite generalization and avoidance being key features of anxiety disorders. This study used a gamified avoidance task to investigate generalization in 96 children aged 5-11 years old. The task was an adaptation of the classic "Space Invaders" video game, in which participants have to shoot at spaceships to win points while also avoiding being shot by a large spaceship (i.e., aversive outcome). The appearance of the large spaceship (the outcome; which resulted in loss of points) was signaled by colored sensors at the top of the screen. One sensor predicted the outcome (CS+; an aqua-colored sensor), and a second did not (CS-; red). Participants could avoid the loss of points by moving into the safe areas of the screen in anticipation of the large spaceship. Following avoidance training, we then presented six generalization stimuli varying along the blue-green dimension of the CS+ to assess generalization. Our findings revealed that age significantly influenced generalization gradients, with younger children (5-8) exhibiting broader gradients compared to older children (9-11). Regression analyses indicated that age was a significant predictor of generalization. These results underscore the impact of ontogenetic changes on the generalization of avoidance behavior and highlight the importance of including young children in research to better understand the mechanisms underlying generalization and factors leading to anxiety disorders.