- Human fear generalisation is at a pivotal juncture, enabling synthesis of behavioural, theoretical, neuroscientific, clinical and individual differences research.
- Prioritise tighter integration between animal and human neuroscience to bridge mechanistic insights and translational applications.
- Update conceptual frameworks and methods, emphasising cross-disciplinary approaches to address enduring gaps and guide novel research avenues.
Trends Cogn Sci. 2026 Sep 21:S1364-6613(26)00206-8. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2026.09.001. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Generalizing from past experience is a fundamental feature of cognition. Although generalization has been of long-standing interest to diverse domains in psychological science, the past decade has seen a rapid acceleration of fear generalization research in particular. The field of human fear generalization is at a pivotal juncture where it is now possible to synthesize extensive behavioral work, competing theoretical models, animal and human neuroscience, and clinical and individual-differences research to address enduring gaps. In this review, we provide an updated account of where the field of human fear generalization currently resides and offer concrete avenues for new research emphasizing tighter integration between animal and human neuroscience, prioritizing cross-disciplinary perspectives, and updating conceptual frameworks to align with rapidly advancing methods.
PMID:42767896 | DOI:10.1016/j.tics.2026.09.001
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