Cited by 116Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesPsychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual OffendingMemory and Neural Mechanisms

Startle reflex potentiation during aversive picture viewing as an indicator of trait fear

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Vaidyanathan, Uma, Patrick, Christopher J., Bernat, Edward M.·2009·Psychophysiology

Abstract

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.

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Crossref · 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2008.00751.x

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  • Socially and directly acquired fear are subject to individual differences along a common trait of fearfulness, and oxytocin neurotransmission contributes exclusively to the former.

    “Collectively, these findings support the idea that socially and directly acquired fear are subject to individual differences along a common trait of fearfulness41 and that oxytocin neurotransmission contributes exclusively to the former.”

    From Oxytocin enhances observational fear in mice (2017) · cites this paper as [41]

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  1. Cleckley HJ The mask of sanity 1941 1st ed. St. Louis, MO Mosby
  2. Lilienfeld SO Development and preliminary validation of a self-report measure of psychopathic personality Doctoral dissertation 1990 University of Minnesota
  3. Tellegen A Manual for the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire Minneapolis, MN University of Minnesota Press (in press)
  4. Tellegen A Waller N Briggs SR Cheek JM Exploring personality through test construction: Development of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire Personality measures: Development and evaluation Greenwich, CT JAI Press (in press)

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Authors
Vaidyanathan, U., Patrick, C. J., & Bernat, E. M.
Affiliations
University of Minnesota (US)
Corresponding author
  • Vaidyanathan, Uma
  • Patrick, Christopher J.
Venue
Psychophysiology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2008-12-23
Volume
46
Issue
1
Pages
75-85
ISSN
  • 0048-5772 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-8986
OpenAlex
W2135595808
Cited by
116
References
70
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 3
FWCI
8.62
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Psychophysiology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (MH 072850, K08MH080239, P50MH072850)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Keywords
fearlessness, psychopathy, unpleasant stimuli, individual differences, gender differences, threats
MeSH terms
Adult, Affect, Blinking, Data Interpretation, Statistical, Fear, Female, Humans, Individuality, Male, Photic Stimulation, Reflex, Startle, Young Adult

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