A person who witnessed or experienced a plane crash and developed PTSD may display excessive hypervigilance and distress when planes fly overhead. Here, the sight and sound of an airplane function as a conditioned stimulus (a traumatic reminder), and the hypervigilance and distress are the conditioned response, similar to the fear and anxiety caused by the original crash.

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Learning models for PTSD propose that classical conditioning is a key mechanism in both the development and maintenance of symptoms. In this framework, the traumatic experience itself functions as an unconditioned stimulus that naturally elicits an unconditioned response of intense fear. Cues from the environment, as well as cognitive, emotional, and physiological states associated with the trauma, become conditioned stimuli. When an individual later encounters these cues, which act as traumatic reminders, they trigger a conditioned response of fear and anxiety, similar to the reaction during the original event.

Classical Conditioning as a Learning Model for PTSD

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Research into conditioning processes reveals key differences in individuals with PTSD. Studies indicate that they demonstrate facilitated acquisition of conditioned fear responses, meaning they learn to associate neutral cues with fear more quickly. Additionally, they show delayed extinction, where the learned fear response persists much longer even when the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with a threat. This combination helps explain the persistence of PTSD symptoms.

Conditioning Differences in PTSD: Facilitated Acquisition and Delayed Extinction

Conditioned Response to Airplane Cues After a Plane Crash (PTSD)

People differ in how conditionable they are, that is, how readily they form conditioned associations. These differences in conditionability help explain why individuals differ in the development and maintenance of PTSD symptoms (Pittman, 1988).

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