Incentive-based, instructed, and social observational extinction of avoidance: Fear-opposite actions and their influence on fear extinction

Pittig A, Wong AHK (2021)

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2021

Journal

Behaviour Research and Therapy Elsevier

Book Volume: 137

Article Number: 103797

DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2020.103797

Abstract

Avoidance is a transdiagnostic symptom of clinical anxiety and its reduction a major focus of cognitive-behavioral treatments. This study examined the instrumental extinction of goal-directed avoidance by means of incentives, verbal instruction, and social observation and their influence on fear extinction. Participants acquired conditioned fear and instrumental avoidance responses (N = 160). In four randomized groups, the reduction of avoidance by incentives for non-avoidance, instructions to refrain from avoidance, and social observation of non-avoidance was compared to no intervention before removing the aversive outcome. Conditioned fear when avoidance became unavailable subsequently was tested. Incentives, instruction, and observation all reduced avoidance better than no intervention, however, with different degrees and influence on conditioned fear. Incentives and instructions strongly reduced avoidance despite high levels of fear (i.e., fear-opposite actions). This initiated fear extinction, thereby reducing conditioned fear when avoidance became unavailable. Social observation directly reduced conditioned fear, presumably because it conveyed additional information about the absence of the aversive outcome. However, observation only moderately reduced avoidance and resulted in higher fear when avoidance became unavailable. The effects of social observation may depend on the nuances of the demonstrator's behavior. The clear effects of incentive and instructions provide support for clinical interventions to reduce avoidance during exposure therapy and can serve as experimental models for their controlled investigation.

Authors with CRIS profile

Andre Pittig Professorship for Translational Psychotherapy

Related research project(s)

Decision conflicts in anxiety: Experimental mechanisms of approach-avoidance conflicts and their clinical relevance for anxiety disorders (DCA) May 1, 2018 - May 1, 2021

Involved external institutions

Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Pittig, A., & Wong, A.H.K. (2021). Incentive-based, instructed, and social observational extinction of avoidance: Fear-opposite actions and their influence on fear extinction. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 137. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2020.103797

MLA:

Pittig, Andre, and Alex H. K. Wong. "Incentive-based, instructed, and social observational extinction of avoidance: Fear-opposite actions and their influence on fear extinction." Behaviour Research and Therapy 137 (2021).

BibTeX: Download