CLASSICAL-CONDITIONING OF AUTONOMIC AND AFFECTIVE RESPONSES TO FEAR-RELEVANT AND FEAR-IRRELEVANT STIMULI

Classical conditioning of autonomic and affective (evaluative) respons es was examined to slides of fear-relevant and fear-irrelevant conditi oned stimuli (CSs). Sixty-four subjects (14 males) who had previously rated 60 slides (which included the CSs) on three dimensions of affect (valence, arousal, and dominance) underwent a two-phase classical con ditioning session. Following habituation to three slides, during acqui sition, the fear-relevant group (n = 32) saw a slide of a snake or spi der (CS forward, CSf) immediately preceding shock (US), and a flower o r mushroom (CS backward, CSb) immediately after the US. The fear-irrel evant group had these stimuli reversed. Both groups also observed a ne utral slide (basket or fork) explicitly unpaired with the shock (CSu). Skin conductance responses (SCRs) and expectancy of the US were recor ded. Both groups learnt the contingency and acquired a conditioned SCR to the CSf in comparison to the CSu. Forty-three subjects later rated the same 60 slides; however, no significant differences between chang e scores (from pre- to post-conditioning) for any type of CS were seen , suggesting that the association of the slides with the US did not in fluence their subsequent affective evaluation. Thus, the present data demonstrated classical conditioning of the autonomic, but not affectiv e, response to the CSs.