Inferring danger with minimal aversive experience
My theoretical paper outlining the research framework of how individuals protect themselves from danger despite minimal aversive experience using mnemonic processes.
Generalisation
Pavlovian threat conditioning retrospectively modulates episodic memory structured by pre-existing knowledge of predictive relations
Past aversive experiences teach us what may pose a threat to our well-being. However, detecting threats often entails exposure to potentially harmful situations – risks that could be minimized if individuals could predict encountering threats ahead of time. How do individuals come to identify signals that indicate the risk of harm before the threat is actually present?
Pre-existing knowledge of environmental structure guides inferential expression of Pavlovian threat memory
Recognising dangerous situations is crucial for regulating defensive behaviours that are tailored to the imminence of potential harm. Past life-threatening situations that have been overcome teach us about what might pose a risk of harm in the future. However, when learned or similar threats are not immediately perceptible in the current environment, the risk of harm, even if remote, may still exist. In such cases, it must be inferred rather than directly derived from a past aversive experience. How do individuals assess risk in such circumstances?