Temporal context cues in human fear conditioning: Unreinforced conditional stimuli can segment learning into distinct temporal contexts and drive fear responding.

In associative learning, if stimulus A is presented in the same temporal context as the conditional stimulus (CS) - outcome association (but not in a way that allows an A-CS association to form) it becomes a temporal context cue, acquiring the ability to activate this context and retrieve the CS-outcome association. We examined whether a CS- presented during acquisition or extinction that predicted the absence of the unconditional stimulus (US) could act as a temporal context cue, reducing or enhancing responding, in differential fear conditioning. Two groups received acquisition (CSx-US, CSa-noUS) in phase 1 and extinction (CSx-noUS; CSe-noUS) in phase 2 (AE groups), and two groups received extinction in phase 1 and acquisition in phase 2 (EA groups). After a delay, participants were presented with either CSa (AEa and EAa groups) or CSe (AEe and EAe groups). Responding to CSx was enhanced after presentation of CSa but reduced after presentation of CSe, suggesting that training was segmented into two learning episodes and that the unreinforced CS present during an episode retrieved the CSx-US or CSx-noUS association. These findings suggest that temporal context cues may enhance or reduce fear responding, providing an exciting new avenue for relapse prevention research.

Don't stop till you get enough: Factors driving men towards muscularity.

This study tested a modified Tripartite Influence Model with 307 men (age M=27.05; SD=6.25). Sociocultural influences (media and male peers) were predicted to be associated with both internalisation of the muscular ideal and body comparisons, which in turn were predicted to be associated with muscle dissatisfaction and then drive for muscularity behaviours. The model was only partially supported. The results suggested that, contrary to what was predicted, muscle dissatisfaction was not related to drive for muscularity behaviours. Instead, internalisation of the muscular ideal was found to lead to body comparisons, which in turn were found to lead to drive for muscularity behaviours. In addition, internalisation and male peer influence were found to lead to muscle dissatisfaction; male peer influence and internalisation were found to lead to body comparisons; and both media and male peer influences were found to lead to internalisation.

Are two threats worse than one? The effects of face race and emotional expression on fear conditioning.

Facial cues of racial outgroup or anger mediate fear learning that is resistant to extinction. Whether this resistance is potentiated if fear is conditioned to angry, other race faces has not been established. Two groups of Caucasian participants were conditioned with two happy and two angry face conditional stimuli (CSs). During acquisition, one happy and one angry face were paired with an aversive unconditional stimulus whereas the second happy and angry faces were presented alone. CS face race (Caucasian, African American) was varied between groups. During habituation, electrodermal responses were larger to angry faces regardless of race and declined less to other race faces. Extinction was immediate for Caucasian happy faces, delayed for angry faces regardless of race, and slowest for happy racial outgroup faces. Combining the facial cues of other race and anger does not enhance resistance to extinction of fear.