Avoidance Problems Reconsidered

Overview

Journal Curr Opin Behav Sci

Date 2019 Apr 16

PMID 30984805

Citations 38

Authors

Christopher K Cain

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Active avoidance is the prototypical paradigm for studying aversively-motivated instrumental behavior. However, avoidance research stalled amid heated theoretical debates and the hypothesis that active avoidance is essentially Pavlovian flight. Here I reconsider key "avoidance problems" and review neurobehavioral data collected with modern tools. Although the picture remains incomplete, these studies strongly suggest that avoidance has an instrumental component and is mediated by brain circuits that resemble appetitive instrumental actions more than Pavlovian fear reactions. Rapid progress may be possible if investigators consider important factors like safety signals, response-competition, goal-directed vs. habitual control and threat imminence in avoidance study design. Since avoidance responses likely contribute to active coping, this research has important implications for understanding human resilience and disorders of control.

Citing Articles

Intersect between brain mechanisms of conditioned threat, active avoidance, and reward.

Badarnee M, Wen Z, Hammoud M, Glimcher P, Cain C, Milad M Commun Psychol. 2025; 3(1):32.

PMID: 40011644 PMC: 11864974. DOI: 10.1038/s44271-025-00197-7.

Social context modulates active avoidance: Contributions of the anterior cingulate cortex in male and female rats.

Ruble S, Payne K, Kramer C, West L, Ness H, Erickson G Neurobiol Stress. 2024; 34():100702.

PMID: 39737250 PMC: 11683269. DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100702.

Neuronal circuit mechanisms of competitive interaction between action-based and coincidence learning.

Rozenfeld E, Parnas M Sci Adv. 2024; 10(49):eadq3016.

PMID: 39642217 PMC: 11623277. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adq3016.

Social threat avoidance depends on action-outcome predictability.

Sequestro M, Serfaty J, Grezes J, Mennella R Commun Psychol. 2024; 2(1):100.

PMID: 39462095 PMC: 11512816. DOI: 10.1038/s44271-024-00152-y.

Acute stress promotes effort mobilization for safety-related goals.

Pavlickova K, Gartner J, Voulgaropoulou S, Fraemke D, Adams E, Quaedflieg C Commun Psychol. 2024; 2(1):50.

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