An examination of intolerance of uncertainty and contingency instruction on multiple indices during threat acquisition and extinction training.

Wendt, J. and Morriss, J. (2022) An examination of intolerance of uncertainty and contingency instruction on multiple indices during threat acquisition and extinction training. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 177. pp. 171-178. ISSN 0167-8760 doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.05.005

Abstract/Summary

Individuals who score high in self-reported Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) tend to find uncertainty aversive. Prior research has demonstrated that under uncertainty individuals with high IU display difficulties in updating learned threat associations to safety associations. Importantly, recent research has shown that providing contingency instructions about threat and safety contingencies (i.e. reducing uncertainty) to individuals with high IU promotes the updating of learned threat associations to safety associations. Here we aimed to conceptually replicate IU and contingency instruction-based effects by conducting a secondary analysis of self-reported IU, ratings, skin conductance, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data recorded during uninstructed/instructed blocks of threat acquisition and threat extinction training (n = 48). Generally, no significant associations were observed between self-reported IU and differential responding to learned threat and safety cues for any measure during uninstructed/instructed blocks of threat acquisition and threat extinction training. There was some tentative evidence that higher IU was associated with greater ratings of unpleasantness and arousal to the safety cue after the experiment and greater skin conductance response to the safety cue during extinction generally. Potential explanations for these null effects and directions for future research are discussed. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.]

Additional Information	** From PubMed via Jisc Publications Router ** Journal IDs: eissn 1872-7697 ** Article IDs: pubmed: 35569601; pii: S0167-8760(22)00125-8 ** History: accepted 09-05-2022; revised 06-05-2022; submitted 17-12-2021
Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/105439
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy > Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences > Food Research Group
Uncontrolled Keywords	Instructions, Acquisition, Intolerance of Uncertainty, fMRI, Skin conductance, Extinction, Threat
Additional Information	** From PubMed via Jisc Publications Router ** Journal IDs: eissn 1872-7697 ** Article IDs: pubmed: 35569601; pii: S0167-8760(22)00125-8 ** History: accepted 09-05-2022; revised 06-05-2022; submitted 17-12-2021
Publisher	Elsevier
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