Kelly Megan M, Forsyth John P
University at Albany, State University of New York, USA.
Behav Ther. 2007 Dec;38(4):340-9. doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2006.10.007. Epub 2007 Oct 17.
The present study evaluated sex differences in observational fear conditioning using modeled "mock" panic attacks as an unconditioned stimulus (UCS). Fifty-nine carefully prescreened healthy undergraduate participants (30 women) underwent 3 consecutive differential conditioning phases: habituation, acquisition, and extinction. It was expected that participants watching a confederate display mock panic attacks (UCS) paired with a previously neutral stimulus (CS(+)) would learn to respond fearfully to the CS(+), but not to the CS(-) (i.e., a stimulus never associated with displays of panic). Women also were expected to report more distress and ratings of panic to the CS(+) than the CS(-) compared to men, but no sex differences were anticipated on autonomic indices of conditioning (i.e., electrodermal responses). Consistent with expectation, aversive conditioning was demonstrated by greater magnitude electrodermal and verbal-evaluative (e.g., subjective units of distress scale, panic ratings) responses to the CS(+) over the CS(-), with women reporting more distress to the CS(+) over the CS(-), but not greater autonomic conditioning, compared to men. Overall, the results support the notion that modeled panic attacks can serve as a potent UCS for both men and women. Discussion focuses on sex differences in observational fear conditioning and its relation to the clinical presentation of anxiety disorders.
本研究以模拟的“假”惊恐发作为无条件刺激（UCS），评估了观察性恐惧条件反射中的性别差异。59名经过精心预筛选的健康本科参与者（30名女性）经历了3个连续的差异条件反射阶段：习惯化、习得和消退。预计观看一名同盟者表现出假惊恐发作（UCS）与先前中性刺激（CS(+)）配对的参与者会学会对CS(+)产生恐惧反应，但对CS(-)（即从未与惊恐发作表现相关联的刺激）不会产生恐惧反应。与男性相比，预计女性对CS(+)的痛苦报告和惊恐评分也会高于CS(-)，但在条件反射的自主指标（即皮肤电反应）上预计不存在性别差异。与预期一致，通过对CS(+)与CS(-)相比更大幅度的皮肤电反应和言语评价反应（如痛苦主观量表、惊恐评分）证明了厌恶条件反射，与男性相比，女性对CS(+)的痛苦报告更多，但自主条件反射并不更强。总体而言，结果支持了模拟惊恐发作可作为男性和女性的有效UCS这一观点。讨论集中在观察性恐惧条件反射中的性别差异及其与焦虑症临床表现的关系。
