Threat conditioning is a common associative learning model with translational relevance. How threat-conditioned cues impact
on formally unrelated instrumental behavior in humans is not well known. Such an effect is known as Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT). While PIT with aversive primary Pavlovian reinforcers is established in nonhuman animals, this is less clear in
humans, where secondary reinforcers or instructed instrumental responses are most often investigated. We modified an existing human PIT procedure to include primary reinforcers. Participants first learned to obtain (or avoid losing) appetitive
instrumental reinforcement (chocolate) by appropriate approach or avoidance actions. They either had to act (Go) or to withhold an action (NoGo), and in the Go condition either to approach a reward target to collect it or to withdraw from the reward
target to avoid losing it. Then they learned to associate screen color (CS) with aversive Pavlovian reinforcement (electric shock
US). In the transfer phase, we conducted the instrumental task during the presence of Pavlovian CS. In a first experiment, we
show that the aversive Pavlovian CS+, compared to CS−, increased response rate in Go-Withdraw trials, i.e., induce conditioned facilitation of avoidance responses. This finding was confirmed in a second and independent experiment with an increased number of Go-Withdraw trials. Notably, we observed no appreciable conditioned suppression of approach
responses. Effect size to distinguish CS+/CS− in Go-Withdraw trials was d = 0.42 in the confirmation sample. This would
require n = 37 participants to demonstrate threat learning with 80% power. Thus, the effect size is on a practically useful
scale although smaller than for model-based analysis of autonomic measures. In summary, our results indicate conditioned
facilitation of formally unrelated instrumental avoidance behavior in humans and provide a novel behavioral threat learning
measure that requires only key presses
