ARTICLE 1: an inhibitory learning process Flashcards
(15 cards)
Extinction of fear
Happens when a CS is repeatedly presented in the absence of an adverse outcome. (Exposure is the clinical proxy of extinction)
Spontaneous recovery
When fear spontaneously returns.
Renewal of conditioned fear
Happens when fear returns when the surrounding context is changed between extinction and retest. Fear extinction seems to be specific to the context in which the extinction occurs.
Reinstatement of conditional fear
Adverse events following exposure therapy (accident, trauma) may lead to return of fear if the previously feared stimuli is encountered in an anxiety inducing context.
Rapid reacquisition of fear
Is seen if the CS-US pairing are repeated following extinction. Fears that have decreased may easily and rapidly be reacquired with re-traumatisation.
Deficits in inhibition and anxiety disorders
Some people fail to achieve symptom reduction after exposure therapy. This may be caused by deficits in extinction learning –> deficits in inhibitory learning –> no extinction of fear.
Solution: enhance inhibitory learning and underlying neural inhibitory regulation to enhance retrieval.
Expectancy violation
Designing an exposure so it maximally violates expectancies about the adverse outcome. The more expectancies are violated, the greater the inhibitory learning.
Deepened extinction
Multiple CS’s are first extinguished separately before being combined. Or a previously extinguished cue is paired with a novel CS.
Occasional reinforced extinction
The client is less likely to expect the next CS presentation due to the occasional nature of the presentation (sometimes CS-US pairings and sometimses CS no-US pairings).
Removal of safety signals / behaviours
It’s best to immediately remove safety signals to prevent interference with inhibitory learning.
Variability
In times of context, timing between exposures, stimuli, duration, level of intensity etc.
Retrieval cues
Can be used in another context when someone has to retrieve learned fear-reducing associations (like an object that was present during exposure.)
BUT: they can become safety signals.
Multiple contexts
When alone, when at home, when with people, when on vacation etc.
Reconsolidation
Retrieving already stores memories induces a process of reconsolidation. Extinction during a reconsolidation window may weaken the fear-memory itself.
Affect labeling
Saying/naming what you are feeling at that moment.
Example: “I am now feeling fear”
Activates the brain areas related to fear (amygdala) and stimulates the inhibitory learning process.
