Question

Do cognitive factors influence the generalization of fear conditioning? How might children and adults think differently about trauma? Are children more likely to be traumatized? Why?

Answer 1

Fear conditioning is referred to as a process in which associative learning is taking place. Through the process of fear conditioning, the person or the animal would be able to associate a stimuli that was previously neutral, to a stimuli that now assumes motivational significance. The previously neutral stimulus was identified as being a conditioned stimulus, and the stimulus that is now motivated is identified to be unconditioned stimulus.

this conditioned response of fear could be described through physiological, Behavioral as well as subjective responses. In animals, the primary reason or the biological reason of the fear generation is understood through the amygdala and its working. In humans, there forms a fear circuit. The structures included in this circuit are the cortical and the subcortical structures, along with the anterior cingulate and the frontal cortex playing a major role.
cognitive factors are also found to be contributing in fear conditioning. As a result of these, conditions such as personality disorders or anxiety have been investigated.

Trauma or psychological trauma could be understood as the condition where there would be some or the other form of damage occurring to the mind. These damages occur as a result of distressing events. As a result of such distressing events, there is overwhelming stress encountered by a person. This overwhelming amount of stress might excess the coping capabilities of the person. As a result of which they might lose the ability to integrate and balance the various emotions or the surge of emotions that they are facing.

witnessing trauma can be different for an adult and a child. For an adult, through the various life experience of themselves or of others, they develop resilience. With constantly being subjected to difficult situations, the coping abilities of the adult seems to have been polished, as a result of which, most adults, in severely traumatic conditions, use some or the other form of Defense mechanisms, to manage the trauma that they have been subjected to.

on the other hand, children might not have seen major traumatic events. Their coping capabilities are not as well developed as that of the adult. And when a child experiences traumatic events, it leaves long lasting impact on the child, so much so, that it might alter the personality of the child in the future.