The role of affect sharing in observational fear learning: Comparing skin conductance, pupil size and fMRI data [Poster presentation]
FENS Forum, 2024
Abstract
The aim of this fMRI study was to assess the role of affect sharing (AS), an important aspect of empathy, in observational fear learning. N=37 students completed an observational Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigm, in which they learned to fear a cue (assessed in a subsequent test stage) by watching videos of a demonstrator receiving shocks with that cue (learning stage). Participants watched the videos in a state of high or low AS, respectively, induced by hypnotic suggestions, using a within-subjects design. Unconditioned responses (UR) to the demonstrator’s pain during learning and conditioned responses (CR) in the learning and test stage, respectively, were calculated based on skin conductance response (SCR), pupil size and brain activity (BOLD response), respectively. In the learning stage, the low vs. high AS condition induced a reduced UR (left Insula) as well as CR (Mid-cingulate Cortex) in the BOLD as well as the SCR data, but no differences in pupil size. No AS-related differences in the CR were found on any physiological measure in the test stage. Increased tonic skin conductance level (SCL) during test compared to learning was observed independent of AS condition, indicating heightened anxiety throughout the test stage. Across participants in the test stage, higher tonic SCL was correlated with lower pupil CR as well as lower BOLD CR in the left (contralateral) Anterior Insula, under low vs. high AS. The results indicate that fear memory in the test stage may have been moderated by tonic anxiety levels in this experiment.
Authors
Alexa Müllner-Huber1, Timo Krug1, Andreas Olsson2, Claus Lamm1
1University of Vienna, Dept. Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Vienna, Austria
2Karolinska Institute, Dept. Clinical Neuroscience, Stockholm, Sweden
Citation
Müllner-Huber, A., Krug, T., Olsson, A., & Lamm, C. (2024, June 25-29). The role of affect sharing in observational fear learning: Comparing skin conductance, pupil size and fMRI data [Poster presentation]. FENS Forum 2024, Vienna, Austria.