BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Human fear conditioning is widely regarded as one of the prime paradigms for the study of fear and anxiety disorders. We provide an evaluation of a commonly used subjective measure in the human fear conditioning paradigm, namely the US-expectancy measurement. METHODS: We assess the validity of US-expectancy with respect to conditions of pathological fear and anxiety using four established criteria for scrutiny of a laboratory test or model (i.e., face validity, diagnostic validity, predictive validity, construct validity). RESULTS: Arguably, there is sufficient evidence for the face validity, diagnostic validity, predictive validity and construct validity of the US-expectancy measure. LIMITATIONS: Presumed limitations of the US-expectancy measure, including its susceptibility to experimental demand and memory bias, are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: The US-expectancy measure is a valuable measurement method that can be effectively used in research that aims to enhance our understanding of fear and anxiety disorders.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:Human fear conditioning is widely regarded as one of the prime paradigms for the study of fear and anxiety disorders. We provide an evaluation of a commonly used subjective measure in the human fear conditioning paradigm, namely the US-expectancy measurement. METHODS: We assess the validity of US-expectancy with respect to conditions of pathological fear and anxiety using four established criteria for scrutiny of a laboratory test or model (i.e., face validity, diagnostic validity, predictive validity, construct validity). RESULTS: Arguably, there is sufficient evidence for the face validity, diagnostic validity, predictive validity and construct validity of the US-expectancy measure. LIMITATIONS: Presumed limitations of the US-expectancy measure, including its susceptibility to experimental demand and memory bias, are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: The US-expectancy measure is a valuable measurement method that can be effectively used in research that aims to enhance our understanding of fear and anxiety disorders.
Authors: Ravi K Das; Sunjeev K Kamboj; Mayurun Ramadas; Kishoj Yogan; Vivek Gupta; Emily Redman; H Valerie Curran; Celia J A Morgan Journal: Psychopharmacology (Berl) Date: 2013-01-10 Impact factor: 4.530
Authors: David Clewett; Joseph Dunsmoor; Shelby L Bachman; Elizabeth A Phelps; Lila Davachi Journal: Neurobiol Learn Mem Date: 2021-12-03 Impact factor: 2.877