Resources
Observational Fear Conditioning Procedure
The Observational Fear Conditioning Protocol is a paradigm for investigating socially acquired threat responses. This protocol serves as a suitable alternative to the widely used Pavlovian fear conditioning, in which threat responses are acquired through direct experiences. In the Observational Fear Conditioning Protocol, the participant (observer) watches a demonstrator being presented with a conditioned stimulus (CS) paired with an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US).
For more information about the Observational Fear Conditioning Protocol, please see:
Assessment of social transmission of threats in humans using observational fear conditioning.
Haaker J, Golkar A, Selbing I, Olsson A
Nat Protoc 2017 Jul;12(7):1378-1386
More references for Observational Fear Conditioning Procedure
The causal role of affect sharing in driving vicarious fear learning.
Müllner-Huber A, Anton-Boicuk L, Pronizius E, Lengersdorff L, Olsson A, Lamm C
PLoS One 2022 ;17(11):e0277793
Observation of others' threat reactions recovers memories previously shaped by firsthand experiences.
Haaker J, Diaz-Mataix L, Guillazo-Blanch G, Stark SA, Kern L, LeDoux JE, Olsson A
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021 Jul;118(30):
Observational learning of fear in real time procedure.
Szczepanik M, Kaźmierowska AM, Michałowski JM, Wypych M, Olsson A, Knapska E
Sci Rep 2020 Oct;10(1):16960
A common neural network differentially mediates direct and social fear learning.
Lindström B, Haaker J, Olsson A
Neuroimage 2018 Feb;167():121-129
The interplay of social group biases in social threat learning.
Golkar A, Olsson A
Sci Rep 2017 Aug;7(1):7685
Social Fear Learning: from Animal Models to Human Function.
Debiec J, Olsson A
Trends Cogn Sci 2017 Jul;21(7):546-555
Assessment of social transmission of threats in humans using observational fear conditioning.
Haaker J, Golkar A, Selbing I, Olsson A
Nat Protoc 2017 Jul;12(7):1378-1386
Endogenous opioids regulate social threat learning in humans.
Haaker J, Yi J, Petrovic P, Olsson A
Nat Commun 2017 May;8():15495
Neural signals of vicarious extinction learning.
Golkar A, Haaker J, Selbing I, Olsson A
Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2016 Oct;11(10):1541-9
Immunization against social fear learning.
Golkar A, Olsson A
J Exp Psychol Gen 2016 Jun;145(6):665-71
Testosterone and estrogen impact social evaluations and vicarious emotions: A double-blind placebo-controlled study.
Olsson A, Kopsida E, Sorjonen K, Savic I
Emotion 2016 Jun;16(4):515-23
Vicarious Fear Learning Depends on Empathic Appraisals and Trait Empathy.
Olsson A, McMahon K, Papenberg G, Zaki J, Bolger N, Ochsner KN
Psychol Sci 2016 Jan;27(1):25-33
Spontaneous eye movements and trait empathy predict vicarious learning of fear.
Kleberg JL, Selbing I, Lundqvist D, Hofvander B, Olsson A
Int J Psychophysiol 2015 Dec;98(3 Pt 2):577-83
Social learning of fear and safety is determined by the demonstrator's racial group.
Golkar A, Castro V, Olsson A
Biol Lett 2015 Jan;11(1):20140817
Other people as means to a safe end: vicarious extinction blocks the return of learned fear.
Golkar A, Selbing I, Flygare O, Ohman A, Olsson A
Psychol Sci 2013 Nov;24(11):2182-90
Social learning of fear.
Olsson A, Phelps EA
Nat Neurosci 2007 Sep;10(9):1095-102
Learning fears by observing others: the neural systems of social fear transmission.
Olsson A, Nearing KI, Phelps EA
Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2007 Mar;2(1):3-11
Learned fear of "unseen" faces after Pavlovian, observational, and instructed fear.
Olsson A, Phelps EA
Psychol Sci 2004 Dec;15(12):822-8
The Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces (KDEF)
About KDEF
The Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces (KDEF) is a set of totally 4900 pictures of human facial expressions of emotion. The material was developed in 1998 by Daniel Lundqvist, Anders Flykt and Professor Arne Öhman at Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Section of Psychology, Stockholm, Sweden.
The material was originally developed to be used for psychological and medical research purposes. More specifically material was made to be particularly suitable for perception, attention, emotion, memory and backward masking experiments. Hence, particular attention was for instance paid to create a soft, even light, shooting expressions in multiple angles, use of uniform T-shirt colors, and use of a grid to center participants face during shooting, and positioning of eyes and mouths in fixed image coordinates during scanning.
The set contains 70 individuals, each displaying 7 different emotional expressions, each expression being photographed (twice) from 5 different angles.
Terms of use
The KDEF stimuli may be used without charge for non-commercial research purposes only. All and any (re-)distribution and publishing without the written consent of the copyright holders is forbidden. Copyright holder is Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Section of Psychology, Stockholm, Sweden.
How to refer to KDEF
Lundqvist, D., Flykt, A., & Öhman, A. (1998). The Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces – KDEF, CD ROM from Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Psychology section, Karolinska Institutet, ISBN 91-630-7164-9.
Download KDEF
The KDEF stimuli consists of a ZIP archive containing the 4900 pictures, and a PDF with general information and usage terms.
The KDEF stimuli may be used without charge for non-commercial research purposes only. All and any (re-)distribution and publishing without the written consent of the copyright holders is forbidden. Copyright holder is Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Section of Psychology, Stockholm, Sweden.
To read more and to download KDEF, please go to kdef.se