Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is associated with difficulty in updating contingencies from threatening to safe during extinction learning. However, it is unknown whether high IU individuals have difficulty (1) generally with updating threat to safe associations when contingencies change or (2) specifically with updating threat to safe associations during extinction learning, where direct threat is omitted. To address this question, we recorded IU, expectancy ratings, and skin conductance in 44 healthy participants during an associative learning paradigm, where threat and safety contingencies were reversed. During acquisition and reversal, we observed larger skin conductance response (SCR) magnitude and expectancy ratings for threat versus safety cues. However, during reversal, higher IU was associated with larger SCR magnitude to new threat versus new safety cues, compared with lower IU. These results were specific to IU-related variance, over shared variance with trait anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Trait Version). Overall, these findings suggest that individuals high in IU are able to reverse threat and safety associations in the presence of direct threat. Such findings help us understand the recently revealed link between IU and threat extinction, where direct threat is absent. Moreover, these findings highlight the potential relevance of IU in clinical intervention and treatment for anxiety disorders.

中文翻译：

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新与旧共存：不确定性的不容忍在逆转威胁与安全中的作用

不确定性（IU）的不容忍与在灭绝学习过程中将突发事件从威胁更新为安全方面的困难相关。但是，尚不清楚高IU个体是否有困难（1）通常在偶然性发生变化时更新对安全关联的威胁，或者（2）特别是在灭绝学习期间没有更新直接威胁的情况下更新对安全关联的威胁。为了解决这个问题，我们在联想学习范式中记录了IU，预期等级和皮肤电导率的44名健康参与者，其中，威胁和安全性偶发性得到了逆转。在获取和逆转过程中，我们观察到较大的皮肤电导响应（SCR）幅度和针对威胁与安全提示的预期等级。但是，在逆转期间 与较低的IU相比，较高的IU与新威胁和新安全提示的SCR幅度更大有关。这些结果特定于与IU相关的方差，超过了因特质焦虑引起的共同方差（状态特质焦虑量表，特质版本）。总体而言，这些发现表明，在存在直接威胁的情况下，IU较高的人能够逆转威胁和安全关联。这些发现有助于我们了解在不存在直接威胁的情况下，IU与威胁消亡之间最近发现的联系。此外，这些发现突出了IU在焦虑症的临床干预和治疗中的潜在相关性。这些发现表明，在存在直接威胁的情况下，IU较高的人能够逆转威胁和安全关联。这些发现有助于我们了解在不存在直接威胁的情况下，IU与威胁消亡之间最近发现的联系。此外，这些发现突出了IU在焦虑症的临床干预和治疗中的潜在相关性。这些发现表明，在存在直接威胁的情况下，IU较高的人能够逆转威胁和安全关联。这些发现有助于我们了解在不存在直接威胁的情况下，IU与威胁消亡之间最近发现的联系。此外，这些发现突出了IU在焦虑症的临床干预和治疗中的潜在相关性。