Verbal instruction abolishes fear conditioned to racial out-group faces
Previous research has shown resistance to extinction of fear conditioned to racial out-group faces, suggesting that these stimuli may be subject to prepared fear learning. The current study replicated and extended previous research by using a different racial out-group, and testing the prediction th...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Academic Press
2009
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/14675 |
| _version_ | 1848748686309326848 |
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| author | Mallan, K. Sax, J. Lipp, Ottmar |
| author_facet | Mallan, K. Sax, J. Lipp, Ottmar |
| author_sort | Mallan, K. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Previous research has shown resistance to extinction of fear conditioned to racial out-group faces, suggesting that these stimuli may be subject to prepared fear learning. The current study replicated and extended previous research by using a different racial out-group, and testing the prediction that prepared fear learning is unaffected by verbal instructions. Four groups of Caucasian participants were trained with male in-group (Caucasian) or out-group (Chinese) faces as conditional stimuli; one paired with an electro-tactile shock (CS+) and one presented alone (CS-). Before extinction, half the participants were instructed that no more shocks would be presented. Fear conditioning, indexed by larger electrodermal responses to, and blink startle modulation during the CS+, occurred during acquisition in all groups. Resistance to extinction of fear learning was found only in the racial out-group, no instruction condition. Fear conditioned to a racial out-group face was reduced following verbal instructions, contrary to predictions for the nature of prepared fear learning. Crown Copyright © 2009. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:08:59Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-14675 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:08:59Z |
| publishDate | 2009 |
| publisher | Academic Press |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-146752017-09-13T14:06:26Z Verbal instruction abolishes fear conditioned to racial out-group faces Mallan, K. Sax, J. Lipp, Ottmar Previous research has shown resistance to extinction of fear conditioned to racial out-group faces, suggesting that these stimuli may be subject to prepared fear learning. The current study replicated and extended previous research by using a different racial out-group, and testing the prediction that prepared fear learning is unaffected by verbal instructions. Four groups of Caucasian participants were trained with male in-group (Caucasian) or out-group (Chinese) faces as conditional stimuli; one paired with an electro-tactile shock (CS+) and one presented alone (CS-). Before extinction, half the participants were instructed that no more shocks would be presented. Fear conditioning, indexed by larger electrodermal responses to, and blink startle modulation during the CS+, occurred during acquisition in all groups. Resistance to extinction of fear learning was found only in the racial out-group, no instruction condition. Fear conditioned to a racial out-group face was reduced following verbal instructions, contrary to predictions for the nature of prepared fear learning. Crown Copyright © 2009. 2009 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/14675 10.1016/j.jesp.2009.08.001 Academic Press restricted |
| spellingShingle | Mallan, K. Sax, J. Lipp, Ottmar Verbal instruction abolishes fear conditioned to racial out-group faces |
| title | Verbal instruction abolishes fear conditioned to racial out-group faces |
| title_full | Verbal instruction abolishes fear conditioned to racial out-group faces |
| title_fullStr | Verbal instruction abolishes fear conditioned to racial out-group faces |
| title_full_unstemmed | Verbal instruction abolishes fear conditioned to racial out-group faces |
| title_short | Verbal instruction abolishes fear conditioned to racial out-group faces |
| title_sort | verbal instruction abolishes fear conditioned to racial out-group faces |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/14675 |