Abstract
When using in-group and out-group faces as conditional stimuli (CS) in fear conditioning designs, extinction learning is selectively impaired for out-group faces. Additionally, stress seems to inhibit extinction retrieval leading to a higher return of fear, which might be especially the case for out-group faces. To test this hypothesis, 51 healthy women underwent fear acquisition training, consisting of repeated presentations of two in-group and two out-group faces. One of each (CS+) was paired with an electrical stimulation (unconditional stimulus, UCS), whereas the other was not coupled with the UCS (CS−). During immediate extinction training, all CS were presented again. On the next day, a retrieval and reinstatement test took place after a stress or a control procedure. Confirming previous research, impaired extinction learning occurred for out-group relative to in-group faces. During the reinstatement test, stress specifically increased responding towards the out-group CS−, thus reducing its safety signaling properties. So, stress seems to reduce the ability to adequately distinguish threat and safety cues after aversive experiences mimicked by reinstatement shocks.
Highlights
When using in-group and out-group faces as conditional stimuli (CS) in fear conditioning designs, extinction learning is selectively impaired for out-group faces
Different observations can be interpreted as impaired extinction retrieval: for example, a reemerging conditioned response after successful extinction learning or a specific increase of responding towards the CS− to a similar level as the CS+
We showed that stress led to higher responding regarding the out-group face, which was never paired with the electrical stimulation (CS−)
Summary
When using in-group and out-group faces as conditional stimuli (CS) in fear conditioning designs, extinction learning is selectively impaired for out-group faces. Stress seems to inhibit extinction retrieval leading to a higher return of fear, which might be especially the case for out-group faces. To test this hypothesis, 51 healthy women underwent fear acquisition training, consisting of repeated presentations of two in-group and two out-group faces. Different observations can be interpreted as impaired extinction retrieval: for example, a reemerging conditioned response (higher responses towards the CS+ compared to the CS−) after successful extinction learning (return of fear) or a specific increase of responding towards the CS− to a similar level as the CS+ (deficit in safety signaling). We suppose this stress effect to be especially evident for out-group faces, since stress should promote more habitual behavior[25,26,27], in this case more fear towards prepared, threat-associated stimuli as out-group faces e.g.5
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