Active escape

A threat-of-shock paradigm involved participants tracking a prolonged (18-s) countdown to shock administration, which could be avoided by making successful, time-sensitive motor responses at the end of the countdown period. Shock intensity and controllability were orthogonally manipulated: in ‘controllable’ trials, participants made a motor response to avoid receiving ‘mild’ or ‘unpleasant’ shocks; in ‘uncontrollable’ trials, a shock was always received. At the end of each trial, participants reported their experienced emotional intensity as well as their confidence in the emotional intensity experienced during the countdown period.