title: From bad to worse: Symbolic equivalence and opposition in fear generalisation.
abstract: The present study compared the impact of symbolic equivalence and opposition relations on fear generalisation. In a procedure using nonsense words, some stimuli became symbolically equivalent to an aversively conditioned stimulus while others were symbolically opposite. The generalisation of fear to symbolically related stimuli was then measured using behavioural avoidance, retrospective unconditioned stimulus expectancy and stimulus valence ratings. Equivalence relations facilitated fear generalisation while opposition relations constrained generalisation. The potential clinical implications of symbolic generalisation are discussed.
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Centre for Learning and Experimental Psychopathology , University of Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hermans
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dymond
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vervoort
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baeyens
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Avoidance; Fear; Symbolic generalisation