S24. The Influence of Acoustic Startle Probes on Fear Learning in Humans

Abstract

Even though human fear-conditioning involves affective learning as well as expectancy learning, most studies assess only one of the two distinct processes. Commonly used read-outs of associative fear learning are fear-potentiated startle reflex (FPS), pupil dilation and self-reported anxiety. A clear asset of FPS is that it reflects the affective aspect of fear learning, while pupil dilation reflects a general arousal response. However, in order to measure FPS, aversively loud acoustic probes are presented during conditioning, which might in itself exert an effect on fear learning.