CUED UCS REHEARSAL AND THE IMPACT OF PAINFUL CONDITIONED-STIMULI - UCS REHEARSAL INCREASES SCRS BUT REDUCES EXPERIENCED PAIN

The effects of cued UCS rehearsal on responses to a mildly painful CS previously paired with a highly painful UCS were investigated. Followi ng CS pretest and CS-UCS pairings, subjects either mentally rehearsed the UCS (condition 1), received the real UCS (condition 2), mentally r ehearsed an unrelated painful experience (condition 3), or waited (con dition ii). In a fifth condition, subjects received CS and UCS unpaire d before engaging in UCS rehearsal. During a posttest, subjects receiv ed CS-alone presentations and rated experienced pain and anxiety, whil e electrodermal responses were assessed. These responses were compared to pretest and acquisition responses. UCS rehearsal led to pain reduc tion of the CS comparable to the habituation effects of real UCS confr ontation. In line with an associative basis for this effect, UCS rehea rsal did not influence the pain experience of an unpaired CS. Yet, reh earsal of a memory of an unrelated painful experience also reduced the pain experience of the CS. Electrodermal responses showed delayed ext inction and incubation after UCS rehearsal, but there were no signific ant effects on subjective anxiety. Incubation of electrodermal respons es was related to low self-consciousness and the combination of low se lf-consciousness and high trait anxiety. Trait anxiety and worry prone ness per se did not relate to incubation. The findings suggest that wo rry-like processes can have functional values like reducing pain impac t, and cast doubt upon the contention that UCS rehearsal leads to an o verall incubation of fear. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.