MBB-1 Essay, 2023 1
Extinction and the return of fear: Translation from the laboratory to
clinical practice.
Essay Prompt
Focussing on the retrieval model of extinction and
studies of the renewal of conditioned fears, develop
an evidence-based argument to support the claim
that “fear extinction is relatively easy to learn but
difficult to remember.” (Vervliet et al., 2013, p 215).
Evaluate the translational value of this statement,
and of the model to which it relates, for the
treatment of anxiety disorders by critically
reviewing the current evidence-base for one of the
treatment approaches suggested by Vervliet, et al. (2013).
Starting Reference
Vervliet, B., Craske, M. G., & Hermans, D. (2013). Fear extinction and relapse: state of the art. Annual review
of clinical psychology, 9, 215-248.
Additional references
Bouton, M. E. (2004). Context and behavioral processes in extinction. Learning & memory, 11(5), 485-494.
Craske, M. G., Liao, B., Brown, L., & Vervliet, B. (2012). Role of inhibition in exposure therapy. Journal of
Experimental Psychopathology, 3(3), 322-345.
Delgado, M. R., Olsson, A., & Phelps, E. A. (2006). Extending animal models of fear conditioning to
humans. Biological psychology, 73(1), 39-48.
Eelen, P., & Vervliet, B. (2006). Fear conditioning and clinical implications: what can we learn from the
past? In Craske, M.G. et al. (Eds.), Fear and learning: From basic processes to clinical implications (pp.
17-35). American Psychological Association.
Vansteenwegen, D., Hermans, D., Vervliet, B., Francken, G., Beckers, T., Baeyens, F., & Eelen, P. (2005).
Return of fear in a human differential conditioning paradigm caused by a return to the original
acquisition context. Behaviour research and therapy, 43(3), 323-336.
All suggested starting references are available via our Readings Online section of Canvas
https://canvas.lms.unimelb.edu.au/courses/152529/external_tools/1188
Word limit
The expected word count for this essay is 1,500 words. Please review the Melbourne School of
Psychological Sciences (MSPS) Undergraduate & Graduate Diploma Student Manual for information on the
School’s word count policy.
Instructions for Students
This essay requires learning the fundamentals of human fear conditioning studies and their application in
the treatment of anxiety disorders, particularly phobias. You will need to understand the basics of non-
human animal studies as well as human fear-conditioning studies, particularly differential fear conditioning
studies (i.e., CS+/ CS- within-subject designs) and studies that manipulate the contexts of acquisition,
This assignment is worth 40% of the
total mark for Mind, Brain and
Behaviour 1 (PSYC10003).
Due 28 April 2023 at 11:59 pm.
MBB-1 Essay, 2023 2
extinction and testing to study the renewal of previously extinguished fear (e.g., ABA; ABC designs). The
concept of safety learning is also useful for understanding what is learned during extinction, which
includes understanding the design of safety learning studies (e.g., AX vs. BX). Examples of all of these
designs are described in the starting references and we will be exploring these in practical classes during
Weeks 3-5.
The second part of the task is designed to allow you to follow your interests to focus on one of the treatment
approaches described in the starting reference. For example, if you have strengths or interests in the
neurobiological basis of extinction and reconsolidation of memory, then you might want to explore
approaches that use pharmacological agents to interfere with the acquisition of fear or strengthen
extinction learning. Or, you may be more interested in exploring approaches that focus on strengthening
the extinction memory that are more cognitive and psychological in nature.
You will be able to work in small teams of students who have similar interests to build your understanding.
There will be time devoted to this in Weeks 3, 4 and 5 of semester. You may continue to work with your
team beyond this point, but each team member must produce their own individual essay response.
The second part of the essay requires you to go beyond the starting reference, published in 2013, to analyse
and synthesise the current state of knowledge about your chosen approach. We will discuss how to
approach your literature review for this part of the essay in practical classes.
A strong essay will present a logically-reasoned argument that clearly addresses the issues raised in the
essay prompt. The writing will be clear and concise. The tone will be appropriate for academic writing and
will demonstrate a level of sophistication in using psychologically relevant terminology, and citing evidence
appropriately. A weaker essay might still be quite informative, but the argument it presents will be less
clear due to poor integration of ideas and/or ineffective use of scientific evidence. Common student errors
in referencing, writing style, and formatting might also be present.
Assessment criteria
A. Title Weight
A1. Title Content • Clearly and concisely outlines the main topic of the essay,
including the author’s thesis (i.e., central argument).
2%
B. Introduction Weight
B1. Topic • Introduces the topic that is the focus of the essay.
• Defines key terms and summarises essential background
information accurately and in appropriate detail.
10%
B2. Importance • Establishes the importance and relevance of the topic. 4%
B3. Thesis and
Direction
• Clearly states the author’s position (thesis).
• Provides a succinct overview of the author’s argument and
the direction of the essay.
6%
C. Body Weight
C1. Argument • Critically engages with the topic to develop a clear and cogent
argument for the author’s stated thesis.
• Supports key points in the argument with credible evidence
drawn from relevant scholarly literature.
• Explains how the evidence supports the author’s thesis.
20%
MBB-1 Essay, 2023 3
C2. Organisation • Structures the argument coherently, with a clear and logical
progression of ideas throughout.
• Guides the reader through the argument, with each point
building on the next and related to the whole.
10%
C3. Understanding • Demonstrates understanding of all relevant aspects of the
topic under consideration (e.g., theoretical concepts,
empirical findings, and so on).
10%
D. Conclusion Weight
D1. Summary and
Synthesis
• Summarises the argument by succinctly reviewing the key
points developed throughout the essay.
• Resolves the discussion with reference to the author’s thesis
15%
D2. Significance • Briefly reflects on the significance of the author’s conclusions
with regard to the topic and may provide useful suggestions
for future research.
5%
E.
Writing/Presentation
Weight
E1. Written Expression • Demonstrates clarity and conciseness in written expression.
• Demonstrates continuity and flow within and across all
sections of the report.
• Exhibits a professional tone suitable for academic writing.
• Word choice is appropriate and sentences are well-
constructed, with no errors in spelling, grammar, or usage.
• Contains an appropriate amount of original material.
8%
E2. Paper Formatting • Adheres to APA Style formatting requirements (e.g., with
regard to page numbers, headings, line spacing, and
paragraph alignment and indentation).
5%
E3. Referencing • Works are cited appropriately in-text and in the reference
list, following the requirements of APA Style.
5%
MBB-1 Essay, 2023 4
Assessment and feedback
Your work will be evaluated according to the
assessment criteria, with the table below used as
a guide for marking. Your tutor will also provide
feedback on your essay, with the aim of offering
practical guidance that you can use to enhance
your academic writing in the future.
Grade Range Example Descriptor
H1 80–100 Excellent performance;
shows a high to very
high level of
proficiency.
H2A 75–79 Very good performance;
shows a high level of
proficiency.
H2B 70–74 Good performance;
shows a sound level of
proficiency.
H3 65–69 Competent
performance; shows a
fair level of proficiency.
P 50–64 Satisfactory
performance; shows an
acceptable or adequate
level of proficiency.
N 0–49 Unsatisfactory
performance; shows an
inadequate level of
proficiency.
Writing resources
The Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association forms the basis of APA
Style and provides guidelines for scholarly
writing in psychology and related disciplines. You
can access the manual through the library
(http://go.unimelb.edu.au/a9qj). The companion
website (https://apastyle.apa.org/) summarises
much of the manual’s contents and includes
webinars, tutorials, and other resources that can
help you with your writing.
The following texts provide general guidance on
essay writing. They are also available through the
library (https://library.unimelb.edu.au/).
Dickerson, P. (2021). How to write brilliant
psychology essays. Sage.
Mewburn, I., Firth, K., & Lehmann, S. (2021).
Level up your essays: How to get better grades at
university. NewSouth.
O’Shea, R. P., & McKenzie, W. A. (2021). Writing
for psychology. (7th ed.). Cengage.
Understanding the assessment criteria:
Some pointers
Title
The title of the essay should be focused and
succinct. Ensure that the title captures the main
topic of your essay and that it includes only
essential terms. Avoid using abbreviations in the
title; instead, write out all terms in full. The title
should also convey your position on the topic
under consideration, thereby setting up readers
expectations for what will be argued in the essay.
Introduction
The introduction sets the focus of the essay by
establishing what the topic is, why it is important
or relevant, what the author’s position on the
topic is, and how that position will be argued for
throughout the essay.
As you write the introduction, you will need to
define key terms and summarise essential
background information, so the reader
understands the broader context for the essay.
You will also need to explain why the topic is
important or relevant in a way that attempts to
engage the reader and captures their interest.
Finally, you will need to clearly state your own
position with regard to the topic (i.e., your thesis)
and provide a concise overview of the argument
you will develop in support of it.
Because the introduction as a whole needs to be
concise, you should aim to include only essential
information; that is, information that orients the
reader to the purpose of your essay. Avoid
material that is tangential, off-topic, or beyond
the scope of the essay you have been asked to
write.
MBB-1 Essay, 2023 5
Argument
The body of the essay is dedicated to analysis.
The aim of this section is to provide well-
reasoned support for your stated thesis—to
develop a cogent argument. Your argument will
most likely involve a few key points. Each one
will need to be supported by credible evidence,
drawn from relevant research, and you will need
to explain how the point supports your thesis.
Assessors will thus be paying attention to your
ability to critically engage with the topic and to
how you evaluate and use evidence throughout
your essay.
Organisation
As you present your argument, it is important to
consider the progression of ideas. The reader
needs to understand how the key points in your
argument relate to one another and to the whole.
For this reason, it is a good idea to sketch out
your ideas before you start writing the essay. This
process encourages you to think about the overall
structure of your argument and the order in
which points are presented. Because your
argument likely has many points, it is important
that they all fit together neatly. Assessors will be
paying attention to whether your ideas are
presented in a logical order and how you guide
the reader through the main points in your
argument.
Understanding
Throughout the essay you will need to draw on
relevant material from the literature to make
your argument. This means you will need to refer
to particular theoretical concepts, research
methods, and empirical findings as you go about
elaborating each point. In doing so, you show the
reader your understanding of the topic and the
associated literature. Assessors will therefore
consider the accuracy of the information you
have presented and whether it reflects an
appropriate level of understanding.
Conclusion
The conclusion summarises and integrates the
key points developed throughout the body to
bring the essay to a satisfying close. This section
is not intended as a repeat of the introduction;
rather, you need to bring all the strands of your
argument together to resolve the discussion with
reference to your thesis. The conclusion also
gives you the opportunity to reflect more broadly
on the significance of your argument, such as the
wider implications it might have, and to discuss
directions that future research on the topic may
wish to explore.
Writing and presentation
Throughout your essay, readers will be paying
attention to how you express yourself in writing,
how you format the paper, and how you
reference work from other authors. You can find
advice relevant to these matters in the Publication
Manual.