Why Is Anxiety & Fear Conditioning Used to Study Behaviors and Mental Illnesses?
To determine unconditioned and conditioned responses to stimuli, scientists use conditioning practices. Researchers have conducted these studies to improve techniques for treating fear and anxiety disorders that have a detrimental effect on mental health. Anxiety, in particular, is a symptom of many common mental disorders. Researchers use mice studies to find better coping mechanisms in humans and to give clients a greater sense of hope for the future.
Understanding Pavlovian Learning
Researchers use anxiety & fear conditioning like Pavlov used the bell to get his dogs to salivate. For mice, however, the conditional stimuli were recorded as tones rather than bells, and the unconditional stimuli were electrical shocks rather than food. Scientists who study anxiety and fear use mice to train them to freeze in place when presented with unconditional stimuli. When mice are scared, they flee, but when they are anxious, they freeze in place.
Testing Different Mazes
Different mazes are used to gather data for behavioral research and determine when mice are fearful or anxious. Rodents prefer darkened spaces since they can find a source of food and hide from predators. The mice are more likely to be afraid of mazes that are well lit, and they will travel faster to seek shelter. Maze designs allow researchers to control the amount of light that enters the structure. If mice become scared, they run faster through the mazes to find an exit but, if they become anxious, they freeze in place and cannot advance.
Measuring Workable Cues
As a result of their behavior, it is possible to determine whether the mice are afraid or if they develop anxiety. In studies, it has been demonstrated that rodents use defense mechanisms, such as scratching or biting, when they are fearful. When breeding, the mice become selective and may become barbaric if they are exposed to other rodents that cause anxiety in them. At Omnitech Electronics, you can learn more about measuring workable cues by reviewing their mazes.
Evaluating the Mental State of Mice
During anxiety and fear studies, researchers evaluate the mental state of mice. Anxiety is a symptom of underlying mental health disorders, and mice who develop these symptoms provide research data for further study. According to the research, mental health professionals can gain a better understanding of how patients develop anxiety and what trauma contributes to more complex mental illnesses.
Doctors and researchers associate many mental disorders with fear and anxiety. In mice experiments, conditional and unconditional stimuli are introduced to elicit a response. It is the goal of the experiment to cause the mice to freeze in place when they are experiencing anxiety. Learn how to use these studies to treat patients and control their anxiety and fear.