Secure attachment priming inhibits the generalization of conditioned fear.
Fear generalization
Inhibitory effect
Secure attachment priming
Skin conductance response
Journal
BMC psychology
ISSN: 2050-7283
Titre abrégé: BMC Psychol
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101627676
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
19 Jun 2024
19 Jun 2024
Historique:
received:
15
04
2024
accepted:
14
06
2024
medline:
19
6
2024
pubmed:
19
6
2024
entrez:
18
6
2024
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Fear overgeneralization constitutes a susceptibility factor contributing to the development and maintenance of anxiety spectrum disorders. Extant research has demonstrated that exposure to positive and supportive social relationships attenuates fear acquisition and promotes the extinction of conditioned fear responses. However, the literature lacks investigation into the effect of secure attachment priming on inhibiting the generalization of conditioned fear. In this study, college students were recruited via online platforms to voluntarily engage in the experimental procedures, resulting in 57 subjects whose data were deemed suitable for analysis. The experimental protocol consisted of four consecutive phases: pre-acquisition, acquisition, priming, and generalization. The priming phase consisted of two experimental conditions: secure attachment priming (experimental group) and positive emotion priming (control group). This study adopted the perceptual discrimination fear conditioning paradigm, employing subjective expectancy of shock ratings and skin conductance responses as primary assessment indices. Individual difference variables were measured using corresponding psychological measurement scales. In terms of generalization degree, a notable divergence surfaced in the skin conductance responses across various generalization materials between the secure attachment priming group and the control group. Similarly, during generalization extinction, a significant disparity emerged in the skin conductance responses across different generalization phases between the secure attachment priming group and the control group. In addition, individual differences analyses revealed that the inhibitory effect of secure attachment priming on fear generalization was not affected by intolerance of uncertainty and attachment orientations. Conversely, slope analyses confirmed that as intolerance of uncertainty increased, the inhibitory effect of positive emotion priming on fear generalization was attenuated. The findings suggest that activating participants' representations of secure attachment via imagination effectively attenuates the generalization of perceptual fear at the physiological level. The inhibitory effect of secure attachment priming appears to be distinct from positive emotional modulation and remains unaffected by individual trait attachment styles. These results offer novel insights and avenues for the prevention and clinical intervention of anxiety spectrum disorders.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Fear overgeneralization constitutes a susceptibility factor contributing to the development and maintenance of anxiety spectrum disorders. Extant research has demonstrated that exposure to positive and supportive social relationships attenuates fear acquisition and promotes the extinction of conditioned fear responses. However, the literature lacks investigation into the effect of secure attachment priming on inhibiting the generalization of conditioned fear.
METHODS
METHODS
In this study, college students were recruited via online platforms to voluntarily engage in the experimental procedures, resulting in 57 subjects whose data were deemed suitable for analysis. The experimental protocol consisted of four consecutive phases: pre-acquisition, acquisition, priming, and generalization. The priming phase consisted of two experimental conditions: secure attachment priming (experimental group) and positive emotion priming (control group). This study adopted the perceptual discrimination fear conditioning paradigm, employing subjective expectancy of shock ratings and skin conductance responses as primary assessment indices. Individual difference variables were measured using corresponding psychological measurement scales.
RESULTS
RESULTS
In terms of generalization degree, a notable divergence surfaced in the skin conductance responses across various generalization materials between the secure attachment priming group and the control group. Similarly, during generalization extinction, a significant disparity emerged in the skin conductance responses across different generalization phases between the secure attachment priming group and the control group. In addition, individual differences analyses revealed that the inhibitory effect of secure attachment priming on fear generalization was not affected by intolerance of uncertainty and attachment orientations. Conversely, slope analyses confirmed that as intolerance of uncertainty increased, the inhibitory effect of positive emotion priming on fear generalization was attenuated.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that activating participants' representations of secure attachment via imagination effectively attenuates the generalization of perceptual fear at the physiological level. The inhibitory effect of secure attachment priming appears to be distinct from positive emotional modulation and remains unaffected by individual trait attachment styles. These results offer novel insights and avenues for the prevention and clinical intervention of anxiety spectrum disorders.
Identifiants
pubmed: 38890761
doi: 10.1186/s40359-024-01857-9
pii: 10.1186/s40359-024-01857-9
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
358Subventions
Organisme : the 13th Five-Year Plan Project of Philosophy and Social Sciences in Guangdong Province
ID : GD20XXL04
Organisme : the 13th Five-Year Plan Project of Philosophy and Social Sciences in Guangdong Province
ID : GD20XXL04
Organisme : the Science and Technology Project in Maoming City
ID : 20230201
Organisme : the Science and Technology Project in Maoming City
ID : 20230201
Organisme : the Science and Technology Project in Maoming City
ID : 20230201
Organisme : the 14th Five-Year Plan Project of Education Science in Maoming City
ID : mjy2023154
Organisme : the 14th Five-Year Plan Project of Education Science in Maoming City
ID : mjy2023154
Organisme : the 14th Five-Year Plan Project of Education Science in Maoming City
ID : mjy2023154
Organisme : National Natural Science Foundation of China
ID : 32371137
Organisme : National Natural Science Foundation of China
ID : 32371137
Informations de copyright
© 2024. The Author(s).
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