How observing others influences the subsequent acquisition of fear of bodily sensations.

Observational fear learning preceding a first-hand learning experience is assumed to potentially sensitize individuals, resulting in greater fear acquisition. In a laboratory setting, we therefore investigated how different demonstrator responses to temporary dyspnea influence consecutive direct fear acquisition. 74 participants were randomly assigned to three experimental groups. In the two observational learning groups, participants observed a demonstrator completing an interoceptive differential fear conditioning paradigm, during which one of two visual cues (conditioned stimuli, CS) was paired with temporary dyspnea for the demonstrator, displaying either a calm, non-fearful or a fearful response to the unconditioned stimulus (US). Participants of the control condition saw the similar setup with no demonstrator being present. Then, the three groups completed a differential direct fear conditioning paradigm with first-hand temporary dyspnea as the US. During observational learning, observers of any demonstrator, but not the control condition, acquired significant contingency knowledge, indicated by greater US-expectancy in response to CS + vs. CS -. During direct acquisition, participants of all groups showed significant fear learning, indicated by greater US-expectancy, skin conductance responses and startle response magnitudes to CS + vs. CS -. Although fear responses decreased in these measures, significant CS + /CS - differences were maintained upon the end of extinction. Evaluating the effect of the different demonstrators, exploratory analyses revealed that startle response potentiation to CS + vs. CS - was only present in the fearful demonstrator group during acquisition. Although preliminary in nature, this suggests that the acquisition of fear of interoceptive threat may be facilitated by preceding observational learning from a fearful demonstrator.