Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
Behav Res Ther. 2017 Sep;96:37-46. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2016.12.010. Epub 2016 Dec 15.
Theoretical models specifying the underlying mechanisms of the development and maintenance of anxiety and related disorders state that fear responses acquired through classical Pavlovian conditioning are maintained by repeated avoidance behaviour; thus, it is assumed that avoidance prevents fear extinction. The present study investigated behavioural avoidance decisions as a function of avoidance costs in a naturalistic fear conditioning paradigm. Ecologically valid avoidance costs - manipulated between participant groups - were represented via time-delays during a detour in a gamified computer task. After differential acquisitions of shock-expectancy to a predictive conditioned stimulus (CS+), participants underwent extinction where they could either take a risky shortcut, while anticipating shock signaled by the CS+, or choose a costly avoidance option (lengthy detour); thus, they were faced with an approach-avoidance conflict. Groups with higher avoidance costs (longer detours) showed lower proportions of avoiders. Avoiders gave heightened shock-expectancy ratings post-extinction, demonstrating 'protecting from extinction', i.e. failure to extinguish. Moreover, there was an indirect effect of avoidance costs on protection from extinction through avoidance behaviour. No moderating role of trait-anxiety was found. Theoretical implications of avoidance behaviour are discussed, considering the involvement of instrumental learning in the maintenance of fear responses.
理论模型规定了焦虑和相关障碍发展和维持的潜在机制，指出通过经典的巴甫洛夫条件作用获得的恐惧反应是通过反复的回避行为来维持的；因此，人们假设回避可以防止恐惧的消退。本研究在自然主义的恐惧条件作用范式中，考察了回避成本作为回避决策的函数。通过在游戏化的计算机任务中的绕道中设置时间延迟，在参与者群体之间操纵具有生态效度的回避成本。在对预测条件刺激（CS+）的预期产生不同的惊吓预期后，参与者进行了消退，他们可以选择有风险的捷径，同时预期 CS+ 发出的惊吓信号，或者选择代价高昂的回避选项（长时间绕道）；因此，他们面临着趋近回避冲突。回避成本较高（绕道时间较长）的组表现出较低的回避者比例。回避者在消退后给予更高的惊吓预期评分，表现出“防止消退”，即未能消退。此外，回避行为通过回避行为对防止消退有间接影响。未发现特质焦虑的调节作用。考虑到工具性学习在维持恐惧反应中的作用，讨论了回避行为的理论意义。
