Abstract/Summary

Background and objectives Self-reported Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) is the tendency to find uncertainty aversive. There is a lack of empirical research on how IU modulates anticipatory responding during threatening contexts with different parameters of uncertainty. Methods Exploratory secondary analyses were conducted on an existing data set (n = 45) to examine whether IU is related to a particular parameter of uncertainty during instructed threat of shock (i.e. certain shock, certain safety from shock, outcome uncertainty of shock, temporal uncertainty of shock). Results Analyses revealed that IU was associated with larger auditory startle blink during the anticipatory period for the certain safety from shock condition relative to the certain shock condition. Limitations The sample was relatively small. Conclusions Individuals with higher self-reported IU may be more inclined to generalize threat to safety cues in the context of instructed threat of shock.