Integrating behavioral and neurophysiological insights: High trait anxiety enhances observational fear learning

Observational fear learning delineates the process by which individuals learn about potential threats through observing others' reactions. Prior research indicates that individuals with high trait anxiety (HTA) manifest pronounced fear responses in direct fear learning scenarios. However, the specific influence of trait anxiety on observational fear learning remains insufficiently explored. This study aimed to fill this gap by examining 64 university students, divided equally between those with HTA and low trait anxiety (LTA), selected from an initial pool of 483 participants. Participants were subjected to observational fear learning tasks, and their behavioral responses, physiological reactions, and brain activations were recorded. Results demonstrated that HTA participants exhibited differentiated skin conductance responses to threat and safety stimuli during the observational fear acquisition phase, notwithstanding prior assurances against shock delivery. Furthermore, during the direct test phase, HTA participants reported significantly elevated fear and shock expectancy ratings for both types of stimuli, in contrast to their LTA counterparts. Neuroimaging data, derived via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) revealed heightened medial prefrontal cortex activation in HTA participants when directly facing threats. This study systematically explores the influence of high trait anxiety on observational fear learning, uncovering that HTA individuals exhibit excessive fear responses. These findings highlight the critical role of trait anxiety as a significant risk factor in the development of anxiety disorders.