Safety signals reinforce instrumental avoidance in humans

Fisher, Courteney T. L.; Urcelay, Gonzalo

Abstract

Safety signals reinforce instrumental avoidance behavior in non-human animals. However, there are no conclusive demonstrations of this phenomenon in humans. Using human participants in an avoidance task, Experiments 1-3 and 5 were conducted online to assess the reinforcing properties of safety signals and Experiment 4 was conducted in the laboratory. Participants were presented with a CS+ and a CS-, and they could avoid an aversive outcome during presentations of the CS+ by pressing their spacebar at a specific time. If successful, the aversive outcome (IAPS image or a loud noise in the laboratory) was not shown but instead a safety signal was. Participants were then tested – whilst on extinction - with two new ambiguous test CS’s. If during test participants avoided, one of the new stimuli produced the trained safety signal and the other was a control. In Experiments 1 and 4 the control was followed by no signal, In Experiment 2 the control was followed by a signal that differed in one dimension (color) with the trained safety signal, and in Experiment 3 the control was followed by a signal that differed in two dimensions (shape and color) from the trained safety signal. Experiment 5 tested the reinforcing properties of the safety signal using a choice procedure and a new response during test. We observed that participants made more avoidance responses to the ambiguous test CS when followed by the trained signal in Experiments 1, 3, 4 and 5. We conclude that the trained safety signal reinforced avoidance behavior. However, in Experiment 2 there was no difference in avoidance behavior to the test CSs, suggesting that when the trained signal and the control signal are similar, generalization occurs. Overall, these results suggest that trained safety signals can reinforce avoidance behavior in humans.

Citation

Fisher, C. T. L., & Urcelay, G. (in press). Safety signals reinforce instrumental avoidance in humans. Learning and Memory,

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 24, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jul 25, 2024
• Journal: Learning and Memory
• Print ISSN: 1072-0502
• Electronic ISSN: 1549-5485
• Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/37599801