Large-scale remote fear conditioning: Demonstration of associations with anxiety using the FLARe smartphone app

Thomas McGregor; Kirstin L. Purves; Elena Constantinou; Johanna M.P. Baas; Tom J. Barry; Ewan Carr; Michelle G. Craske; Kathryn J. Lester; Elisavet Palaiologou; Gerome Breen; Katherine S. Young; Thalia C. Eley

doi:10.1002/da.23146

Large-scale remote fear conditioning: Demonstration of associations with anxiety using the FLARe smartphone app

Thomas McGregor, Kirstin L. Purves, Elena Constantinou, Johanna M.P. Baas, Tom J. Barry, Ewan Carr, Michelle G. Craske, Kathryn J. Lester, Elisavet Palaiologou, Gerome Breen, Katherine S. Young, Thalia C. Eley

Department of Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

14 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

Objectives: We aimed to examine differences in fear conditioning between anxious and nonanxious participants in a single large sample. Materials and methods: We employed a remote fear conditioning task (FLARe) to collect data from participants from the Twins Early Development Study (n = 1,146; 41% anxious vs. 59% nonanxious). Differences between groups were estimated for their expectancy of an aversive outcome towards a reinforced conditional stimulus (CS+) and an unreinforced conditional stimulus (CS−) during acquisition and extinction phases. Results: During acquisition, the anxious group (vs. nonanxious group) showed greater expectancy towards the CS−. During extinction, the anxious group (vs. nonanxious group) showed greater expectancy to both CSs. These comparisons yielded effect size estimates (d = 0.26–0.34) similar to those identified in previous meta-analyses. Conclusion: The current study demonstrates that remote fear conditioning can be used to detect differences between groups of anxious and nonanxious individuals, which appear to be consistent with previous meta-analyses including in-person studies.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	719-730
Number of pages	12
Journal	Depression and Anxiety
Volume	38
Issue number	7
Early online date	19 Mar 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/da.23146
Publication status	Published - 31 Jul 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
T. McGregor is supported by the UK Medical Research Council (MR/N013700/1). K.L. Purves was funded during this study by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the UK Medical Research Council. T.C. Eley and G. Breen are part‐funded by a program grant from the UK Medical Research Council (MR/M021475/1). This study presents independent research part‐funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors. Depression and Anxiety published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Keywords

anxiety disorders
differential conditioning
extinction
remote study
smartphones

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Clinical Psychology
Psychiatry and Mental health

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1002/da.23146Licence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Large-scale remote fear conditioning: Demonstration of associations with anxiety using the FLARe smartphone app",

abstract = "Objectives: We aimed to examine differences in fear conditioning between anxious and nonanxious participants in a single large sample. Materials and methods: We employed a remote fear conditioning task (FLARe) to collect data from participants from the Twins Early Development Study (n = 1,146; 41% anxious vs. 59% nonanxious). Differences between groups were estimated for their expectancy of an aversive outcome towards a reinforced conditional stimulus (CS+) and an unreinforced conditional stimulus (CS−) during acquisition and extinction phases. Results: During acquisition, the anxious group (vs. nonanxious group) showed greater expectancy towards the CS−. During extinction, the anxious group (vs. nonanxious group) showed greater expectancy to both CSs. These comparisons yielded effect size estimates (d = 0.26–0.34) similar to those identified in previous meta-analyses. Conclusion: The current study demonstrates that remote fear conditioning can be used to detect differences between groups of anxious and nonanxious individuals, which appear to be consistent with previous meta-analyses including in-person studies.",

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author = "Thomas McGregor and Purves, {Kirstin L.} and Elena Constantinou and Baas, {Johanna M.P.} and Barry, {Tom J.} and Ewan Carr and Craske, {Michelle G.} and Lester, {Kathryn J.} and Elisavet Palaiologou and Gerome Breen and Young, {Katherine S.} and Eley, {Thalia C.}",

note = "Funding Information: T. McGregor is supported by the UK Medical Research Council (MR/N013700/1). K.L. Purves was funded during this study by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the UK Medical Research Council. T.C. Eley and G. Breen are part‐funded by a program grant from the UK Medical Research Council (MR/M021475/1). This study presents independent research part‐funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 The Authors. Depression and Anxiety published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.",

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AU - Purves, Kirstin L.

AU - Constantinou, Elena

AU - Baas, Johanna M.P.

AU - Barry, Tom J.

AU - Carr, Ewan

AU - Craske, Michelle G.

AU - Lester, Kathryn J.

AU - Palaiologou, Elisavet

AU - Breen, Gerome

AU - Young, Katherine S.

AU - Eley, Thalia C.

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N2 - Objectives: We aimed to examine differences in fear conditioning between anxious and nonanxious participants in a single large sample. Materials and methods: We employed a remote fear conditioning task (FLARe) to collect data from participants from the Twins Early Development Study (n = 1,146; 41% anxious vs. 59% nonanxious). Differences between groups were estimated for their expectancy of an aversive outcome towards a reinforced conditional stimulus (CS+) and an unreinforced conditional stimulus (CS−) during acquisition and extinction phases. Results: During acquisition, the anxious group (vs. nonanxious group) showed greater expectancy towards the CS−. During extinction, the anxious group (vs. nonanxious group) showed greater expectancy to both CSs. These comparisons yielded effect size estimates (d = 0.26–0.34) similar to those identified in previous meta-analyses. Conclusion: The current study demonstrates that remote fear conditioning can be used to detect differences between groups of anxious and nonanxious individuals, which appear to be consistent with previous meta-analyses including in-person studies.

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Large-scale remote fear conditioning: Demonstration of associations with anxiety using the FLARe smartphone app

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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