Transcript US HABITUATION DOES NOT CAUSE RETROACTIVE …

US HABITUATION DOES
NOT CAUSE RETROACTIVE
REVALUATION OF A
CONDITIONED FEAR
RESPONSE.
Stephanie Damas, Cheryl Novak, &
Dr. 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, 1927).
• Fear conditioning (Estes & Skinner, 1941).
Introduction
• EU: CS not predict US / US not predict
CS, (Rauhut, Thomas, & Ayres, 2001).
• Fear for a CS is weakened by presenting
US until habituation develops, (Rescorla,
1973).
• Retroactive revaluation- informational
value of CS is changed without actually
experiencing it.
Purpose
• Is relapse prevented in the EU procedure
because the rats become habituated to
the US?
• Does the intensity of the shock effect
habituation directly and revaluation
indirectly?
• What, if any, importance does shock
intensity have in the EU paradigm?
Method
ACQ
EXT
Test 1
Test 2
Hab
EU .6
2L+,N+ 4L-, 2+
2L-
2N-
2T+
EU .4
2L+,N+ 4L-, 2+
2L-
2N-
2T+
E .6
2L+,N+
4L-
2L-
2N-
2T+
E .4
2L+,N+
4L-
2L-
2N-
2T+
U .6
2L+,N+
2+
2L-
2N-
2T+
U .4
2L+,N+
2+
2L-
2N-
2T+
Results: Renewal
• Conditioning
was stronger
with a more
intense
shock.
• Extinction
was slower
in Group EU
.60 than
other groups.
0.6
EU.40
E.40
U.40
EU.60
E.60
U.60
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
F L
1
2
3
4
Results: Savings Test
0.6
0.5
Savings
• EU groups
combined
greater
savings than E
groups
combined.
• E Groups
combined
greater
savings than U
groups
combined.
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
EU .4
EU .6
E .4
E .6
Groups
U .4
U .6
Results:
Revaluation/Habituation
• Conditioning
was faster in E
groups
combined than
other groups.
• Conditioning
was faster in
.60 mA groups
combined than
than .40 mA
groups.
0.6
EU.40
E.40
U.40
EU.60
E.60
U.60
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
1
2
3
4
5
Trial
6
7
8
9
10
Conclusions
• The EU procedure is not dependant on
US habituation.
• US habituation was greater with a .40
mA shock than .60 mA shock, but
savings did not depend on shock
intensity.
• US habituation did not cause retroactive
revaluation.
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.
• Rescorla, R.A. (1973). Effect of US habituation
following conditioning. Journal of Comparative and
Physiological Psychology, 82, 137-143.