Escaping aversive exposure.
This research examined human defensive reactivity when exposure to an aversive event could be escaped but not entirely avoided. Prolonged visual cues indicated whether exposure to an upcoming aversive (i.e., disgusting) picture could be terminated after onset (escaped) or not, or that a neutral go signal would appear. Acoustically elicited startle reflexes were measured during each cue interval, as were cardiac and skin conductance activity. Early in the cuing interval, startle reflexes were potentiated during both escape and inescapable exposure trials, compared to the simple motor context. Later in the interval, reflexes remained potentiated for both escapable and inescapable trials, with potentiation further enhanced when aversive exposure could not be escaped compared to when exposure could be escaped. Heart rate deceleration in the cuing interval indicated increased vigilance when preparing any (escape or neutral) action, whereas skin conductance responding indicated enhanced sympathetic action mobilization particularly in an escape context. These data suggest that startle reflexes engaged in an escape context reflect both motor-related response inhibition and aversive potentiation, and they indicate that defensive motivation is engaged whenever aversive exposure is guaranteed, regardless of whether it can be escaped or not.
['Sege|Christopher T|CT|', 'Bradley|Margaret M|MM|', 'Lang|Peter J|PJ|']
D000293:Adolescent D001143:Arousal D001341:Autonomic Nervous System D001794:Blood Pressure D004644:Emotions D004924:Escape Reaction D005239:Fear D005260:Female D005712:Galvanic Skin Response D006339:Heart Rate D006801:Humans D008297:Male D013216:Reflex, Startle D055815:Young Adult
Escape Autonomic Defensive behavior Startle blink