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Startle reflex potentiation during aversive picture viewing as an indicator of trait fear
Author(s) -
Vaidyanathan Uma,
Patrick Christopher J.,
Bernat Edward M.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2008.00751.x
Subject(s) - psychology , psychopathy , moro reflex , trait , association (psychology) , developmental psychology , fear conditioning , startle response , reflex , audiology , personality , neuroscience , social psychology , amygdala , computer science , programming language , medicine , psychotherapist
Measures of fearfulness and measures of psychopathy show positive and negative associations, respectively, with startle reflex potentiation during unpleasant picture viewing. We tested the hypothesis that a common bipolar trait dimension underlies these differing associations. Blink responses to noise probes were recorded during pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant pictures in 88 undergraduates assessed with a battery of self‐report scales indexing fear and psychopathy/fearlessness. A significant positive association was found between an omnibus index of fear, consisting of scores on the first component from a principal components analysis of these various scales, and startle potentiation during aversive picture viewing. This association was most robust, across participants overall and within gender subgroups, for scenes that were most directly threatening. Implications for psychophysiological research on individual differences and psychopathology are discussed.