The role of aversiveness in the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and inflexible avoidance

The study of avoidance behaviour is considered relevant to improve our understanding of anxiety disorders, which are commonly characterized by the presence of undue avoidance behaviours. Flores et al. (2018) found evidence that Prospective Intolerance of Uncertainty (P-IU) is associated with inflexible avoidance behaviour. Specifically, healthy participants learned in a free-operant discriminative task to avoid an aversive sound, and were tested in extinction to measure the sensitivity of avoidance responses to the devaluation of the sound aversiveness. The results showed that an increase in P-IU was positively associated with insensitivity to outcome devaluation. This association was still significant even when trait anxiety was controlled for. These results suggested that PIU may be a vulnerability factor for inflexible avoidance. However, in a recent replication, we found that the relationship between P-IU and inflexible avoidance was moderated by the participants ratings of outcome aversiveness. Specifically, the significant association between PIU and insensitivity to outcome devaluation was found to be conditional upon high aversiveness ratings.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, proyecto I+D+i PSI2014-56061. Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship within the 7th European Community Framework Programme. Plan Propio de Investigación de la Universidad de Málaga, Programa de Fortalecimiento de las Capacidades en I+D+I en las Universidades 2014-20150, Fondos FEDER

Colaboración con Centroamérica atiende grupos en vulnerabilidad

La propuesta se fundamenta en que el prefigurar acciones específicas de prevención hacia grupos altamente vulnerable por discapacitaciones físicas, considerando las características de las regiones en interacción con otros de alta marginación socio-econónomica, ha sido prácticamente soslayado

Partial extinction and reinstatement

Fear extinction is not permanent but more vulnerable than the original fear memory, as relapse phenomena have traditionally shown. Partial extinction has been proposed as a strategy that may serve to mitigate relapses. Partial extinction differs from the standard procedure as it includes the occasional presentation of CS-US trials at the beginning of the extinction training. The present experiment, using an aversive differential conditioning procedure, evaluates whether partial extinction can reduce reinstatement, a specific form of relapse. The results showed that partial extinction did not mitigate reinstatement but proved effective to diminish the magnitude of the US expectation after a first reacquisition trial in a final test phase. The results reported are more consistent with theories that conceives extinction as the acquisition of new inhibitory learning rather than the erasure of the original conditioning.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Estimates of the likelihood of threats are related to intolerance of uncertainty and learning

In the present experiment, we assessed the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and expectancy ratings of threats both in the presence of conditioned stimuli (CS) that signalled the delivery of an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US), and after making an avoidance response. Participants learned the relationship between several pictures serving as CSs and an aversive sound serving as the US, and learned to avoid the US through a procedure including alternating pavlovian and negative reinforcement training phases. Expectancy ratings were measured on every training trial. Our results only showed a significant association between intolerance of uncertainty and expectancy ratings made after avoidance responses. This association was found only when the avoidance response was made in the presence of CSs signalling that the aversive sound was avoidable. The increase in intolerance of uncertainty was related to lower expectancy ratings in good learners, and to higher expectancy ratings in bad learners. These results are tentatively explained by invoking a view of intolerance of uncertainty as an exaggerated reaction to uncertainty aimed at learning to avoid threats.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Ministerio de Ciencia y Competitividad. Proyecto Nacional I+D+i. PSI2014-56061

Studying habit acquisition with an avoidance learning task

Afiliaciones: Universidad de Málaga and Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Spain Universidad de Málaga, Spain University of Leuven, BelgiumThe study of habit acquisition and expression is considered relevant to improve our understanding of mental disorders characterised by the presence of compulsive or incontrollable behaviours. Most studies on habit learning, both in animals and in humans, are based on positive reinforcement paradigms. However, the compulsions and habits involved in some mental disorders may be better understood as avoidance behaviours, which involve some peculiarities such as anxiety states that have been shown to promote habitual responses. Consequently, we studied habit acquisition by using a free-operant discriminated avoidance procedure. Participants learned to avoid an aversive noise presented either to the right or to the left ear by pressing two different keys. After a devaluation phase where participants could reduce the volume of the noise presented to one of the ears, participants went through a test phase identical to the avoidance learning phase except for the fact that the noise was never administered. Habit acquisition was inferred by comparing the rate of responses to the stimulus signalling the devalued reinforcer and to the stimulus signalling the non-devalued reinforcer. Habitual responses would entail the absence of differences between the referred conditions. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and clinical implications of the results obtained.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Partial extinction did not diminish spontaneous recovery after 24-hour retention interval

Fear extinction is not permanent but it may suffer from different forms of relapse. One strategy potentially useful to diminish relapse is the partial extinction treatment, according to which, extinction may be potentiated if a gradual and sparse number of CS-US pairings are introduced within the extinction treatment. The present study, using a differential fear conditioning paradigm, tries to evaluate the efficacy of partial extinction to reduce a specific form of relapse, spontaneous recovery, after a 24 h. retention interval. The results showed that partial extinction did not diminish spontaneous recovery when compared with standard extinction. From a theoretical point of view, the pattern of results found was more consistent with the idea that extinction entails the acquisition of new knowledge than with the idea that there are conditions in which extinction entails the erasure of the original acquisitionUniversidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

How innovative teaching activities can help theorical-based subjects: focused on teaching subjects at the Architectural Composition Department

Subjects at the Architectural Composition Department are distributed among the five years of the Architecture studies. These subjects are basically based on the study of History and cultural references, which has been studied traditionally by memory. In order to improve the teaching at these subjects and make the concept assimilation easier for pupils, teachers have been testing different methods on their classes to encourage the participation of students as well as achieve better grades. All these methods include the use of new technologies and complementary activities at the classroom as writing blogs, going on tours to local buildings treated at the master classes and the participation on activities at cultural architecture festivals from both teachers and students, who may later add to the regular teaching some of the topics seen at these fests as well as creating relationships with national and international Schools to see different approaches at the Composition subjects.Las asignaturas del Departamento de Composición Arquitectónica de la Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Valencia, están distribuidas a lo largo de los 5 cursos de Grado. Estas asignaturas están basadas en el estudio de la historia y las referencias culturales que enriquecen la formación del futuro graduado y cuya docencia ha sido tradicionalmente evaluada a través de pruebas de nivel enfocadas a que el alumno aprenda de memoria. Con motivo de enriquecer la docencia de las asignaturas pertenecientes a este Departamento, los profesores han impulsado diferentes metodologías que permitan al alumnado una mayor implicación con estas materias, además de una mejor asimilación de conceptos y mejora de calificaciones. Estos métodos incluyen el uso de TIC y nuevas tecnologías, además de actividades complementarias en el aula que fomentan las competencias transversales del alumnado, todo ello con el objetivo de obtener una mejor docencia en las asignaturas del Departamento de Composición

CARLOS BULOSAN AND A COLLECTIVE OUTLINE FOR CRITICAL FILIPINA AND FILIPINO STUDIES

As an activist-scholar formation called the Critical Filipina and Filipino Studies Collective (CFFSC) we take the position that Carlos Bulosan is indispensable for an emerging multidisciplinary field that is equipped in defying the neoliberal onslaught against ethnic studies in the United States and the unbridled racism most evident in the ongoing US “wars of terrorism” that haunt people of color throughout the world. We take seriously Bulosan’s insight that “[I]f the writer has any significance, [s]he should write about the world in which [s]he lives: interpret his [her] time and envision the future through his [her] knowledge of historical reality” (On Becoming Filipino 43). While Bulosan for our times can be taken up in an assortment of ways, for the purpose of this article we draw upon Bulosan’s writing and praxis to conceptualize an outline for CFFS that can offer grounded analysis and academic critique

Carlos Bulosan and a Collective Outline for Critical Filipina and Filipino Studies

As an activist-scholar formation called the Critical Filipina and Filipino StudiesCollective (CFFSC) we take the position that Carlos Bulosan is indispensable foran emerging multidisciplinary field that is equipped in defying the neoliberalonslaught against ethnic studies in the United States and the unbridled racismmost evident in the ongoing US “wars of terrorism” that haunt people of colorthroughout the world. We take seriously Bulosan’s insight that “[I]f the writer hasany significance, [s]he should write about the world in which [s]he lives: interprethis [her] time and envision the future through his [her] knowledge of historicalreality” (On Becoming Filipino 43). While Bulosan for our times can be taken upin an assortment of ways, for the purpose of this article we draw upon Bulosan’swriting and praxis to conceptualize an outline for CFFS that can offer groundedanalysis and academic critique