Steepened generalization gradients after massed extinction to the CS

Temporally massed CS presentations generate more fear extinction than spaced presentations.

Rodent fear conditioning models both excitatory learning and the pathogenesis of human anxiety, whereas extinction of conditional fear is a paradigm of inhibitory learning and the explicit model for behavior therapy. Many studies support a general learning rule for acquisition: Temporally spaced training is more effective than massed training. The authors asked whether this rule applies to exti...

Generalization Gradients in Perceptual Memory

For over 30 years, researchers in perception and memory have conducted experiments on long-term repetition priming effects. Although seemingly simple, repetition priming data have informed theories of lexical access, categorization, attention, and long-term memory. Among these studies, a continuing focus has been the specificity of newly created episodic memory traces, and their potential invol...

Resistance to extinction, generalization decrement, and conditioned reinforcement.

This study investigated generalization decrement during an extinction resistance-to-change test for pigeon key pecking using a two-component multiple schedule with equal variable-interval 3-min schedules and different reinforcer amounts (one component presented 2-s access to reinforcement and the other 8s). After establishing baseline responding, subjects were assigned to one of the two extinct...

Neural reactivity tracks fear generalization gradients.

Recent studies on fear generalization have demonstrated that fear-potentiated startle and skin conductance responses to a conditioned stimulus (CS) generalize to similar stimuli, with the strength of the fear response linked to perceptual similarity to the CS. The aim of the present study was to extend this work by examining neural correlates of fear generalization. An initial experiment (N=8) ...

Emotion Fear Generalization Gradients in Visuospatial Attention