Fredrikson M, Hugdahl K, Ohman A
Biol Psychol. 1976 Dec;4(4):305-14. doi: 10.1016/0301-0511(76)90021-1.
There are clear sex differences in incidence of phobias for small animals, and in questionnaire-measured fear for animals. The present study examined whether these sex differences were reflected also in electrodermal conditioning to potentially phobic stimuli. Separate groups of males and females were exposed to a conditioning session involving either potentially phobic, snakes and spiders, or fear-irrelevant, flowers and mushrooms, conditioned stimuli with electric shock as the unconditioned stimulus. A long interstimulus interval differential paradigm was used, allowing analysis of first- and second interval anticipatory responses, and third-interval omission responses. There were 8 habituation trials, 16 acquisition trials and 40 extinction trials. Half of the trials involved the reinforced cue, and the other half the unreinforced cue. There were clear conditioning effects, with superior acquisition and resistance to extinction to the phobic as compared to the fear-irrelevant stimuli. However, there were no differences between the two sexes. The results were interpreted in terms of the preparedness theory of phobias, and in terms of social learning factors.
在对小动物的恐惧症发病率以及通过问卷调查测量的对动物的恐惧方面，存在明显的性别差异。本研究调查了这些性别差异是否也体现在对潜在恐惧刺激的皮肤电条件反射中。将雄性和雌性分为不同组，让他们接受一个条件反射实验，实验中的条件刺激物要么是潜在恐惧的蛇和蜘蛛，要么是与恐惧无关的花和蘑菇，非条件刺激物是电击。采用了长刺激间隔差异范式，以便分析第一和第二间隔的预期反应以及第三间隔的遗漏反应。有8次习惯化试验、16次习得试验和40次消退试验。一半的试验涉及强化线索，另一半涉及非强化线索。有明显的条件反射效应，与恐惧无关的刺激相比，对恐惧刺激的习得和消退抵抗更优。然而，两性之间没有差异。研究结果从恐惧症的准备理论和社会学习因素的角度进行了解释。
