Passive avoidance learning as a function of behavioral inhibition and activation among female inmates

This study examined the association between temperament and behavioral disinhibition among incarcerated females (N = 128) within a passive avoidance learning (PAL) paradigm. Participants completed measures of temperament dimensions associated with behavioral inhibition (BI) and behavioral activation (BA) as well as one of two PAL tasks. Task 1 allowed participants to reflect on their response feedback for up to 7 s, whereas Task 2 involved a fixed duration (3 s) of response feedback. For Caucasian participants, those high in both BA and BI committed more passive avoidance errors (PAEs) in Tasks 1 and 2, and reflected less on punishment feedback in Task 1 than other participant groups. For Task 1, reflection on punishment was negatively associated with PAEs.