Heart rate as a minimal cue for the occurrence of vicarious classical conditioning.

Abstract

This study tested the hypothesis that minimal cues from a model (i.e., information about changes in the heart rate of a model interpreted by an observer as caused by either noxious or innocuous antecedents) are sufficient to produce vicarious classical conditioning effects. The design used four groups of 12 subjects. Three groups of subjects heard the heart beats of a model who was ostensibly being shocked during a period of white noise which followed a tone. A fourth group thought the noise was caused by a slide projector. Among those subjects hearing a model being "shocked," one third heard a change of heart rate after each shock, one third heard no change in heart rate, and the remaining third were a sensitization control group. The subjects' heart rate was recorded, and a postexperimental questionnaire was administered. A pronounced and significant decelerative cardiac response was found in the interstimulus interval for the experimental condition as compared to the three control groups combined. Thus, vicarious conditioning effects were obtained using only the model's heart rate as a cue to his emotional response.1 This study is based on a dissertation submitted to the University of Michigan in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the PhD degree. The author expresses her appreciation to Robert B. Zajonc, dissertation chairman, for his support and encouragement. The author also thanks Arnie Braver and Steve Palms who acted as confederates in this study.2 Requests for reprints should be sent to Diane F.

Observational Fear Learning

“…Importantly, fear arousal was absent when participants thought the arm movements were voluntary or when conspecifics did not show responses to apparent shocks, indicating that this association was selective to the distress responses and not to the shock delivery itself. Similar results were obtained in another study using increases in conspecific's heart rate rather than overt pain responses (Kravetz, 1974), suggesting this form of learning is sensitive enough to be acquired using subtle displays of conspecifics' emotional arousal.…”

Reductions in Children’s Vicariously Learnt Avoidance and Heart Rate Responses Using Positive Modeling

“…Following vicarious learning, rises in heart rate were greater when children approached previously fear-paired animals compared to previously unpaired animals, showing support for recent research indicating that fear vicarious learning increases children's physiological responses to novel stimuli (Reynolds et al, 2014). This is important because although there is a wealth of research indicating increased heart rate in real or imaginary feared situations (e.g., McNeil, Vrana, Melamed, Cuthbert, & Lang, 1993;Sartory, Rachman, & Grey, 1977), apart from one recent study with children (Reynolds et al, 2014), research focusing on physiological responses specifically created by vicarious learning remains limited and exclusively with adults (e.g., Kravetz, 1974). Furthermore, though again conclusive evidence of vicariously learnt heart rate responding was not found (because measures were taken at one time point only), results of the current study support the proposition that vicarious counterconditioning can reverse children's vicariously learned heart rate increases, because heart rate responses to fear-paired animals found in the control group were not found for children who received positive modelling (counterconditioning).…”

The etiology of phobias: a nonassociative account

“…Second, in several studies some phobic patients have retrospectively attributed the onset of their concerns to vicarious events (e.g., Fazio, 1972;Rimm, Janda, Lancaster, Nahl, & Dittmar, 1977). Third, several experiments have successfully conditioned autonomic responses to neutral stimuli as a result of observational experiences (e.g., Bandura & Rosenthal, 1966;Brown, 1974;Craig & Lowery, 1969;Hygge, 1976;Kravetz, 1974). Finally, Rachman claims support for the vicarious position in studies showing that children often share their parents' fears (Bandura, Blanchard, & Ritter, 1969;Hagman, 1932;John, 1941;Windheuser, 1977).…”