Transcript Stephanie Damas, Cheryl Novak, Brian L. Thomas

Extinction of fear in rats does
not depend on long-term
habituation
Stephanie Damas, Cheryl Novak, Brian L.
Thomas
Baldwin-Wallace College
Introduction
NS  No particular response
bee
 NS + US  UR
bee
sting pain
 CS  CR
bee
anticipatory fear/avoidance
(Pavlov, 1928).
 Fear conditioning (Estes & Skinner, 1941).
 EU: CS not predict /US
(Rauhut, Thomas, & Ayres, 2001).

Purpose

Is relapse prevented in the EU procedure
because the rats become habituated to the
US?

Is there a possible double dissociation,
similar levels of US habituation with varying
relapse and similar levels of relapse with
varying US habituation?
Method

Procedure
Group
Acq
Ext
Test
Reinst
Hab
EU1
L+
4L-,1+ 4L-
+/3L-
8T+
EU2
L+
4L-,2+ 4L-
+/3L-
8T+
EU4
L+
4L-,4+ 4L-
+/3L-
8T+
CU1
L+
4L-/1+ 4L-
+/3L-
8T+
CU2
L+
4L-/2+ 4L-
+/3L-
8T+
CU4
L+
4L-/4+ 4L-
+/3L-
8T+
Results: Renewal
0.6
CU1
CU2
CU4
EU1
EU2
EU4
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
A
F L
F L
F L
F L
Trial
F L
F L
1 2
3 4
Results:
Reinstatement/Habituation
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
CU1
CU2
CU4
EU1
EU2
EU4
0
LR
1
2
3
1
Trial
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Conclusions

The EU procedure is not dependent
on US habituation.

Supports double-dissociation
Habituation strong in 2+ and 4+ groups,
but CU groups with habituation relapsed
significantly
 Procedure groups, for example EU
groups with 1, 2, and 4 USs, did not
differ in renewal, but did differ in US
habituation

References



Estes, W.K. & Skinner, B.F. (1941). Some
quantitative properties of anxiety. Journal
of Experimental Psychology, 29, 390-400.
Pavlov, I.P. (1927). Conditioned Reflexes
(G. V. Anrep, Trans.). London: Oxford
University Press.
Rauhut, A.S., Thomas, B.L., & Ayres, J.J.B.
(2001). Treatments that weaken Pavlovian
conditioned fear and thwart its renewal in
rats: Implications for treating human
phobias. Journal of Experimental
Psychology: Animal Behavior Process,
27(2), 99-114.