University of Würzburg, Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy), Marcusstraße 9-11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany.
Technische Universität Dresden, Department of Psychology, Dresden, Germany.
J Anxiety Disord. 2024 Apr;103:102844. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102844. Epub 2024 Feb 22.
Excessive avoidance is characteristic for anxiety disorders, even when approach would lead to positive outcomes. The process of how such approach-avoidance conflicts are resolved is not sufficiently understood. We examined the temporal dynamics of approach-avoidance in intense fear of spiders. Highly fearful and non-fearful participants chose repeatedly between a fixed no spider/low reward and a spider/high reward option with varying fear (probability of spider presentation) and reward information (reward magnitude). By sequentially presenting fear and reward information, we distinguished whether decisions are dynamically driven by both information (sequential-sampling) or whether the impact of fear information is inhibited (cognitive control). Mouse movements were recorded to assess temporal decision dynamics (i.e., how strongly which information impacts decision preference at which timepoint). Highly fearful participants showed stronger avoidance despite lower gains (i.e., costly avoidance). Time-continuous multiple regression of their mouse movements yielded a stronger impact of fear compared to reward information. Importantly, presenting either information first (fear or reward) enhanced its impact during the early decision process. These findings support sequential sampling of fear and reward information, but not inhibitory control. Hence, pathological avoidance may be characterized by biased evidence accumulation rather than altered cognitive control.
过度回避是焦虑障碍的特征，即使接近会带来积极的结果。目前还不完全了解这种回避冲突是如何解决的。我们检查了对蜘蛛的强烈恐惧中的回避-接近的时间动态。高度恐惧和不恐惧的参与者在固定的无蜘蛛/低奖励和蜘蛛/高奖励之间反复选择，奖励信息（奖励幅度）随恐惧（蜘蛛出现的概率）而变化。通过顺序呈现恐惧和奖励信息，我们区分了决策是由信息（顺序采样）还是由恐惧信息的抑制（认知控制）驱动。记录鼠标移动以评估时间决策动态（即，在哪个时间点，信息对决策偏好的影响有多大）。尽管收益较低（即，代价高昂的回避），但高度恐惧的参与者表现出更强的回避。对他们的鼠标移动进行连续时间的多元回归分析，得出恐惧信息比奖励信息的影响更强。重要的是，先呈现任何信息（恐惧或奖励）都会增强其在早期决策过程中的影响。这些发现支持恐惧和奖励信息的顺序采样，但不支持认知控制。因此，病理性回避可能表现为有偏差的证据积累，而不是改变认知控制。
