A systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence for unaware fear conditioning

Whether fear conditioning can take place without contingency awareness is a topic of continuing debate and conflicting findings have been reported in the literature. This systematic review provides a critical assessment of the available evidence. Specifically, a search was conducted to identify articles reporting fear conditioning studies in which the contingency between conditioned stimuli (CS) and the unconditioned stimulus (US) was masked, and in which CS-US contingency awareness was assessed. A systematic assessment of the methodological quality of the included studies (k = 41) indicated that most studies suffered from methodological limitations (i.e., poor masking procedures, poor awareness measures, researcher degrees of freedom, and trial-order effects), and that higher quality predicted lower odds of studies concluding in favor of contingency unaware fear conditioning. Furthermore, meta-analytic moderation analyses indicated no evidence for a specific set of conditions under which contingency unaware fear conditioning can be observed. Finally, funnel plot asymmetry and p-curve analysis indicated evidence for publication bias. We conclude that there is no convincing evidence for contingency unaware fear conditioning

A review on mental imagery in fear conditioning research 100 years since the 'Little Albert' study

Since the seminal 'Little Albert' study by Watson and Rayner (1920), fear conditioning has become one of the most commonly used paradigms for studying the etiology of anxiety-related disorders. In a fear conditioning procedure, a (neutral) conditioned stimulus (CS) is paired with an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US), resulting in fear-related conditioned responses (CRs) to the CS. Whereas fear conditioning research initially focused on observable elements in the environment (i.e., CSs, USs, and their contingency) and their effects (i.e., CRs), subsequent research indicated that attention should also be given to unobservable mental events (e.g., intrusive memories of aversive outcomes) to more fully account for the symptomatology of anxiety disorders. In this paper, we review the research relating to four major research questions on the relationship between mental imagery and fear conditioning: (1) Can mental imagery substitute for actual stimulus administration? (2) Can mental imagery inflate CRs? (3) Can fear conditioning result in the installment of mental images as CRs (Le., intrusions)? (4) Can mental imagery-based interventions reduce CRs? For all these research questions, tentative confirmatory evidence has been found and these findings corroborate contemporary conditioning theories. Nonetheless, we point to several open questions and methodological issues that require further research

Форми минулого часу в пам’ятках Середньої Наддніпрянщини

У статті розглянуто роль говірок північного та південно-західного наріч в історії формування середньонаддніпрянського говору. На матеріалі пам’яток староукраїнської мови кінця XVII − початку XVIII ст. з території Середньонаддніпрянщини досліджено форми минулого особового часу в зіставленні з такими ж формами давньоукраїнської мови та з сучасним діалектним матеріалом.В статье рассмотрена роль говоров северного и юго-западного наречий в истории формирования среднеподнепровского диалекта. На материале письменных памятников староукраинского языка конца XVII и начала XVIII вв. из территории Среднего Поднепровья исследованы формы прошедшего личного времени в сопоставлении с такими же формами древнеукраинского языка и современного диалектного материала.The article deals with the role of dialects of the northern and the south-western narich in the history of forming of the middlenaddnipryanskyi manner of speaking. The forms of the past tense in comparison with the same forms of modern language were investigated on the material of pam’yatok of staroukrainian language of the end of the XVII to the beginning of the XVIII centuries

Induction of conditioned avoidance via mental imagery

There is a growing interest on how mental imagery may be involved in the onset and maintenance of anxietyrelated disorders. Here, we used an experimental design to investigate whether a key symptom across anxietyrelated disorders, namely avoidance, can be induced via mental imagery. Healthy participants first learned that one neutral stimulus (A) was associated with a mild electric shock and two other neutral stimuli (B and C) were not. They then learned to cancel the shock when A was presented, by pressing a button on a keyboard ('behavioral avoidance'). Next, they were asked to imagine that stimulus B was followed by the shock (i.e., without actual B or shock presentations; Experiment 1; N = 66) or they were shown B and asked to imagine the shock (i.e., without actual shock presentations; Experiment 2; N = 60). Finally, in the test phase, they were shown each of the three stimuli (without the shock) and given the opportunity to make the avoidance response. Results showed that participants tended to avoid B in the test phase in Experiment 1, even though it had never been presented with the shock but not in Experiment 2. We discuss how the findings may explain the acquisition of avoidance in the presentation of innocuousstimuli across anxiety-related disorders

Human fear conditioning is moderated by stimulus contingency instructions

Recent research findings indicate that human fear conditioning is affected by instructions, particularly those concerning the contingency between the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the unconditioned stimulus (US). However, whether or not such instructions were provided to participants often remains unsaid in fear conditioning studies. In the current study (N = 102), we investigated whether conditioned fear acquisition depends on CS-US contingency instructions. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first group was instructed about the precise CS-US contingency before conditioning. The second group was instructed to discover the CS-US contingency. The third group did not receive any contingency instructions. We found facilitated fear acquisition (using skin conductance and startle) and increased contingency awareness in the first and second group compared to the third group. Furthermore, contingency reversal instructions immediately reversed conditioned responses. Based on these results, we advise to systematically report the contingency instructions used in fear conditioning research

Does an unconditioned stimulus memory devaluation procedure decrease disgust memories and conditioned disgust?:Results of two laboratory studies

Research has demonstrated that disgust can be installed through classical conditioning by pairing neutral conditioned stimuli (CSs) with disgusting unconditioned stimuli (USs). Disgust has been argued to play an important role in maintaining fear-related disorders. This maintaining role may be explained by conditioned disgust being less sensitive to extinction (i.e., experiencing the CS in the absence of the US). Promising alternatives to extinction training are procedures that focus on the devaluation of US memory representations. In the current study, we investigated whether such devaluation procedures can be successful to counter conditioned disgust. We conducted two laboratory studies (N = 120 and N = 51) in which disgust was conditioned using audio-visual USs. Memory representations of the USs were devalued by having participants recall these USs while they performed a taxing eye-movement task or executed one of several control tasks. The results showed successful conditioned disgust acquisition. However, no strong evidence was obtained that an US memory devaluation procedure modulates disgust memory and diminishes conditioned disgust as indicated by subjective, behavioral, or psychophysiological measures. We discuss the relevance of our results for methodological improvements regarding US memory devaluation procedures and disgust conditioning

Fear of the coronavirus (COVID-19):Predictors in an online study conducted in March 2020

Fear is an adaptive response in the presence of danger. However, when threat is uncertain and continuous, as in the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, fear can become chronic and burdensome. To identify predictors of fear of the coronavirus, we conducted an online survey (N = 439) three days after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic (i.e., between March 14 and 17, 2020). Fear of the coronavirus was assessed with the newly developed Fear of the Coronavirus Questionnaire (FCQ) consisting of eight questions pertaining to different dimensions of fear (e.g., subjective worry, safety behaviors, preferential attention), and an open-ended question. The predictors included psychological vulnerability factors (i.e., intolerance of uncertainty, worry, and health anxiety), media exposure, and personal relevance (i.e., personal health, risk for loved ones, and risk control). We found four predictors for the FCQ in a simultaneous regression analysis: health anxiety, regular media use, social media use, and risks for loved ones (R2 = .37). Furthermore, 16 different topics of concern were identified based participants’ open-ended responses, including the health of loved ones, health care systems overload, and economic consequences. We discuss the relevance of our findings for managing people’s fear of the coronavirus

A review on the effects of verbal instructions in human fear conditioning : empirical findings, theoretical considerations, and future directions

Fear learning reflects the adaptive ability to learn to anticipate aversive events and to display preparatory fear reactions based on prior experiences. Usually, these learning experiences are modeled in the lab with pairings between neutral conditioned stimuli and aversive unconditioned stimulus (i.e., fear conditioning via CS-US pairings). Nevertheless, for humans, fear learning can also be based on verbal instructions. In this review, we consider the role of verbal instructions in laboratory fear learning. Specifically, we consider both the effects of verbal instructions on fear responses in the absence of CS-US pairings as well as the way in which verbal instructions moderate fear established via CS-US pairings. We first focus on the available empirical findings about both types of effects. More specifically, we consider how these effects are moderated by elements of the fear conditioning procedure (i.e., the stimuli, the outcome measures, the relationship between the stimuli, the participants, and the broader context). Thereafter, we discuss how well different mental-process models of fear learning account for these empirical findings. Finally, we conclude the review with a discussion of open questions and opportunities for future research

Окрема думка судді в кримінальному процесі

З’ясовується змістове наповнення правових засад, на підставі яких суддя може викласти окрему думку. Досліджується поняття «окремої думки судді» в різних країнах та правових системах. Висвітлюється механізм реалізації окремої думки судді в порівнянні з правом зарубіжних держав та вносить пропозиції щодо запозичення та ведення аналогічних механізмів реалізації окремої думки судді в Україні.Раскрывается содержание правовых принципов, на основании которых судья может изложить особое мнение. Исследуется понятие «особого мнения судьи » в разных странах и правовых системах. Освещается механизм реализации особого мнения судьи в сравнении с правом зарубежных государств и вносит предложение относительно заимствования и ведения аналогичных механизмов реализации особого мнения судьи в Украине.This article investigated the legal principles on which the judge may express the separate opinion; the existence of the notion of «the separate opinion of judge» in different countries and legal systems is conducted. The author analyzed the mechanism of realization of the separate opinion of judge in comparison with the law of foreign countries and made proposals for borrowing and introduction of the similar mechanisms for realization the dissenting the separate opinion of judge in Ukraine