Effects of Approach-Avoidance Training on the Extinction and Return of Fear Responses.
Exposure therapy for anxiety involves confronting a patient with fear-evoking stimuli, a procedure based partially on Pavlovian extinction. Exposure and other extinction-based therapies usually lead to (partial) reduction of fear symptoms, but a substantial number of patients experience a return of...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2015-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4511792?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1819161743162605568 |
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| author | Angelos-Miltiadis Krypotos Inna Arnaudova Marieke Effting Merel Kindt Tom Beckers |
| author_facet | Angelos-Miltiadis Krypotos Inna Arnaudova Marieke Effting Merel Kindt Tom Beckers |
| author_sort | Angelos-Miltiadis Krypotos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Exposure therapy for anxiety involves confronting a patient with fear-evoking stimuli, a procedure based partially on Pavlovian extinction. Exposure and other extinction-based therapies usually lead to (partial) reduction of fear symptoms, but a substantial number of patients experience a return of fear after treatment. Here we tested whether the combination of fear extinction with modification of approach-avoidance tendencies using an Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT) would result in the further reduction of conditioned fear and/or help prevent return of fear after extinction.Two groups of participants underwent a fear acquisition procedure during which pictures of one neutral object were sometimes paired with shock (CS+), whereas pictures of another neutral object were not (CS-). The next day, in a fear extinction procedure, both objects were presented without shock. During the subsequent joystick AAT, one group primarily pulled CS+ pictures towards themselves and pushed CS- pictures away from themselves; reversed contingencies applied for the other group.Approach training was effective in modifying conditioned action tendencies, with some evidence for transfer to a different approach/avoidance task. No group differences in subjective fear or physiological arousal were found during subsequent post- training and return-of-fear testing.No reliable return-of-fear was observed in either group for either subjective or physiological fear measures.Our results suggest that approach training may be of limited value for enhancing the short- and long-term effects of extinction-based interventions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T17:17:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-89be716914404a6c867c900e93fec3d7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T17:17:11Z |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-89be716914404a6c867c900e93fec3d72022-12-21T18:18:56ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032015-01-01107e013158110.1371/journal.pone.0131581Effects of Approach-Avoidance Training on the Extinction and Return of Fear Responses.Angelos-Miltiadis KrypotosInna ArnaudovaMarieke EfftingMerel KindtTom BeckersExposure therapy for anxiety involves confronting a patient with fear-evoking stimuli, a procedure based partially on Pavlovian extinction. Exposure and other extinction-based therapies usually lead to (partial) reduction of fear symptoms, but a substantial number of patients experience a return of fear after treatment. Here we tested whether the combination of fear extinction with modification of approach-avoidance tendencies using an Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT) would result in the further reduction of conditioned fear and/or help prevent return of fear after extinction.Two groups of participants underwent a fear acquisition procedure during which pictures of one neutral object were sometimes paired with shock (CS+), whereas pictures of another neutral object were not (CS-). The next day, in a fear extinction procedure, both objects were presented without shock. During the subsequent joystick AAT, one group primarily pulled CS+ pictures towards themselves and pushed CS- pictures away from themselves; reversed contingencies applied for the other group.Approach training was effective in modifying conditioned action tendencies, with some evidence for transfer to a different approach/avoidance task. No group differences in subjective fear or physiological arousal were found during subsequent post- training and return-of-fear testing.No reliable return-of-fear was observed in either group for either subjective or physiological fear measures.Our results suggest that approach training may be of limited value for enhancing the short- and long-term effects of extinction-based interventions.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4511792?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Angelos-Miltiadis Krypotos Inna Arnaudova Marieke Effting Merel Kindt Tom Beckers Effects of Approach-Avoidance Training on the Extinction and Return of Fear Responses. PLoS ONE |
| title | Effects of Approach-Avoidance Training on the Extinction and Return of Fear Responses. |
| title_full | Effects of Approach-Avoidance Training on the Extinction and Return of Fear Responses. |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Approach-Avoidance Training on the Extinction and Return of Fear Responses. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Approach-Avoidance Training on the Extinction and Return of Fear Responses. |
| title_short | Effects of Approach-Avoidance Training on the Extinction and Return of Fear Responses. |
| title_sort | effects of approach avoidance training on the extinction and return of fear responses |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4511792?pdf=render |
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