Threat of Shock Paradigm
Objective: To examine the impact of induced state anxiety on cognitive performance using a translational threat of unpredictable electrical shock paradigm, where subjects anticipate infrequent shocks while performing cognitive tasks, alternating with safe no-shock conditions to directly manipulate state anxiety within subjects.
Gather these items before starting the experiment. Check off items as you prepare.
Equipment4
Materials1
not specified • not specified • not specified • not specified
Software1
not specified • not specified
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Protocol Steps
Subject instruction and threat condition setup
Subjects are informed that they are at risk of receiving infrequent electrical shocks during the experimental session
Note: This establishes the threat condition for state anxiety induction
View evidence from paper
“subjects are told that they are at risk of infrequent electrical shocks”
Threat condition cognitive task administration
Subjects perform cognitive tasks while anticipating the infrequent electrical shocks
Note: This is the threat/anxiety condition where state anxiety is elevated
View evidence from paper
“Whilst anticipating the shocks subjects can be tested upon a cognitive task”
Safe condition cognitive task administration
Subjects perform the same or similar cognitive tasks during a safe no-shock condition
Note: This serves as the control condition with no threat of shock
View evidence from paper
“This can alternate with a safe no shock condition to directly manipulate state anxiety within subjects”
Condition alternation
Threat and safe conditions are alternated throughout the experimental session
Note: Within-subjects design allows each subject to serve as their own control
View evidence from paper
“This can alternate with a safe no shock condition to directly manipulate state anxiety within subjects”
Sensory-perceptual processing assessment
Administer tasks assessing early sensory processing and detection of environmental stimuli such as auditory tones or discrete visual cues
Note: Tasks utilize affectively neutral stimuli and fall into cold cognitive functions category
View evidence from paper
“we define sensory-perceptual processes as the early processing and detection of environmental stimuli (e.g., auditory tones or discrete visual cues)”
Sensory gating assessment
Assess filtering mechanisms that constrain afferent signaling, potentially using ocular motor responses to sound or startle attenuation by cue (PPI)
Note: Measures preattentive filtering of sensory information
View evidence from paper
“Sensory gating refers to filtering mechanisms that constrain afferent signaling to allow for elaborative processing of certain stimuli”
Emotional perception assessment
Assess detection of negative information and emotional perception tasks
Note: Falls under hot cognitive processing category
View evidence from paper
“we also examine (3) emotional perception which falls under the category of hot cognitive processing”
ERP recording during oddball procedure
Record event-related potentials during passive oddball procedures where rare stimuli are embedded in uniform stimulus sequences
Note: Measures mismatch negativity (MMN) occurring between 150-250 ms post-stimulus, reflecting preattentive change detection
View evidence from paper
“The MMN is elicited by passive oddball procedures in which relatively rare stimuli are embedded in an otherwise uniform sequence of stimuli”
Brainstem response recording
Record brainstem responses (wave V) to simple auditory stimulation to assess early afferent pathway processing
Note: Wave V responses occur approximately 10 ms in the afferent pathway at the level of the inferior colliculus
View evidence from paper
“ERP studies have shown that brainstem (wave V) responses to simple auditory stimulation are increased in patients with panic disorder”