Aversive imagery causes de novo fear conditioning (Open Data and Open Materials)

Open Data and Open Materials of: Mueller, E. M., Sperl, M. F. J., & Panitz, C. (2019). Aversive imagery causes de novo fear conditioning. Psychological Science, 30(7), 1001–1015.

In classical fear conditioning, neutral conditioned stimuli (CS) that have been paired with aversive physical unconditioned stimuli eventually trigger fear responses. Here, we test whether aversive mental images systematically paired with a CS may also cause de novo fear learning in the absence of any external aversive stimulation. In two experiments, N=45 and N=41 participants were first trained to produce aversive, neutral, or no imagery in response to one of three different visual imagery cues. In a subsequent imagery-based differential conditioning paradigm, each of the three cues systematically co-terminated with one of three different neutral faces. Although the face that was paired with the aversive imagery cue was never paired with aversive external stimuli or threat-related instructions, participants rated it as more arousing, unpleasant, and threatening and displayed relative fear bradycardia and fear-potentiated startle. These results could be relevant for the development of fear and related disorders without trauma.