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Related Experiment Videos

Emotional learning, hedonic change, and the startle probe

A O Hamm1, M K Greenwald, M M Bradley

  • 1Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Giessen, Germany.

Journal of Abnormal Psychology
|August 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary

Human subjects learned to fear a picture paired with electric shock, showing a heightened startle reflex. This fear response was stronger for pleasant images, indicating distinct physiological and affective components of acquired fear.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Aversive learning is crucial for survival, enabling organisms to avoid threats.
  • Understanding human fear acquisition provides insights into anxiety disorders and trauma.
  • Animal models offer valuable parallels but human-specific responses require direct investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the human fear response using a multiple-response analysis of aversive learning.
  • To examine how different stimulus contents (pleasant vs. unpleasant) influence conditioned fear.
  • To differentiate the physiological and affective components of acquired fear in humans.

Main Methods:

  • Human participants underwent aversive conditioning, pairing one pictorial stimulus with electric shock.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Acoustic startle eyeblink reflex magnitude was measured during presentation of conditioned stimuli.
  • Skin conductance, heart rate, and affective judgments were recorded to assess physiological and subjective responses.

    • Main Results:

    • The startle reflex significantly increased for the shock-associated picture compared to the neutral stimulus.
    • Fear potentiation was greater for pleasant pictures than for unpleasant pictures.
    • Skin conductance changes correlated with arousal, while startle reflex magnitude related to affective valence (pleasure).

    Conclusions:

    • Humans exhibit robust fear conditioning to visual stimuli, evidenced by potentiated startle responses.
    • The valence of conditioned stimuli modulates the intensity of the fear response.
    • Distinct physiological systems (e.g., skin conductance, startle reflex) reflect different facets of acquired fear, offering neurophysiological insights comparable to animal studies.