The Effect of Extinction Training With Unpaired US and US Only Presentations on the Contextual Renewal of Human Fear Conditioning.

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Title: The Effect of Extinction Training With Unpaired US and US Only Presentations on the Contextual Renewal of Human Fear Conditioning.
Authors: Wang, Yi (AUTHOR), Ney, Luke J. (AUTHOR), Lipp, Ottmar V. (AUTHOR)
Source: Psychophysiology. Jun2026, Vol. 63 Issue 6, p1-19. 19p.
Subjects: Expectation (Psychology), Habituation (Neuropsychology), Galvanic skin response, Stimulus & response (Biology), Classical conditioning, Fear in animals
Abstract: Past research has shown that contextual renewal of conditional fear can be reduced if unconditional stimuli (USs) are presented unpaired with the conditional stimuli (CSs) during extinction training. The current study examined whether this reduction is a product of strengthened extinction learning from the unpaired presentation of the stimuli that had been paired during acquisition or from habituation to the US. Three groups of participants completed extinction training in a novel context with either: (1) CSs only (CS alone), (2) CSs and unpaired USs (unpaired), or (3) USs only (US alone) presentations. Based on past literature, contextual renewal of electrodermal responses was expected to occur in the CS alone group and renewal of US expectancy in the CS alone and US alone groups. Renewal was absent in electrodermal responses across all groups, limiting interpretation. US expectancy renewal emerged in the CS alone and US alone groups but not in the unpaired group, due to an unexpected increase in US expectancy during CS− in the unpaired extinction phase. This increase, along with parallel changes in affective ratings, suggests that the unpaired group perceived both CS+ and CS− as paired with the US. Taken together, the current findings provided limited support for the effectiveness of unpaired extinction in reducing the return of fear and highlight the role of participants' subjective interpretation of events. US alone extinction showed limited effectiveness, likely due to the high number of US presentations, with some evidence of US habituation. Impact Statement: Unpaired US presentations during extinction have been reported to reduce the return of fear. Our findings show that participants interpreted unpaired USs as linked to the CSs that preceded them and consequently experienced these CSs as threatening regardless of their prior training as danger or safety cues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Psychophysiology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: The Effect of Extinction Training With Unpaired US and US Only Presentations on the Contextual Renewal of Human Fear Conditioning.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wang%2C+Yi%22">Wang, Yi</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ney%2C+Luke+J%2E%22">Ney, Luke J.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lipp%2C+Ottmar+V%2E%22">Lipp, Ottmar V.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Psychophysiology%22">Psychophysiology</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 63 Issue 6, p1-19. 19p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Expectation+%28Psychology%29%22">Expectation (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Habituation+%28Neuropsychology%29%22">Habituation (Neuropsychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Galvanic+skin+response%22">Galvanic skin response</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stimulus+%26+response+%28Biology%29%22">Stimulus & response (Biology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Classical+conditioning%22">Classical conditioning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fear+in+animals%22">Fear in animals</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Past research has shown that contextual renewal of conditional fear can be reduced if unconditional stimuli (USs) are presented unpaired with the conditional stimuli (CSs) during extinction training. The current study examined whether this reduction is a product of strengthened extinction learning from the unpaired presentation of the stimuli that had been paired during acquisition or from habituation to the US. Three groups of participants completed extinction training in a novel context with either: (1) CSs only (CS alone), (2) CSs and unpaired USs (unpaired), or (3) USs only (US alone) presentations. Based on past literature, contextual renewal of electrodermal responses was expected to occur in the CS alone group and renewal of US expectancy in the CS alone and US alone groups. Renewal was absent in electrodermal responses across all groups, limiting interpretation. US expectancy renewal emerged in the CS alone and US alone groups but not in the unpaired group, due to an unexpected increase in US expectancy during CS− in the unpaired extinction phase. This increase, along with parallel changes in affective ratings, suggests that the unpaired group perceived both CS+ and CS− as paired with the US. Taken together, the current findings provided limited support for the effectiveness of unpaired extinction in reducing the return of fear and highlight the role of participants' subjective interpretation of events. US alone extinction showed limited effectiveness, likely due to the high number of US presentations, with some evidence of US habituation. Impact Statement: Unpaired US presentations during extinction have been reported to reduce the return of fear. Our findings show that participants interpreted unpaired USs as linked to the CSs that preceded them and consequently experienced these CSs as threatening regardless of their prior training as danger or safety cues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Psychophysiology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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        Value: 10.1111/psyp.70312
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        Text: English
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        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Habituation (Neuropsychology)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Galvanic skin response
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Stimulus & response (Biology)
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      – SubjectFull: Classical conditioning
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      – SubjectFull: Fear in animals
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: The Effect of Extinction Training With Unpaired US and US Only Presentations on the Contextual Renewal of Human Fear Conditioning.
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            NameFull: Wang, Yi
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              M: 06
              Text: Jun2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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