Distinguishing BIS-mediated and BAS-mediated disinhibition mechanisms: A comparison of disinhibition models of Gray (1981,1987) and of Patterson and Newman (1993)

The theoretical framework developed by J. A. Gray (1981, 1987a, 1987b) was used to study disinhibitory behavior. Using a point-scoring reaction time procedure, 4 different experiments were conducted to differentiate 2 disinhibitory mechanisms associated with the behavioral activation system (BAS) and the behavioral inhibition system (BIS). Consistent with the work of C. M. Patterson and J. P. Newman (1993), the BAS-mediated mechanism was related to a lack of inhibition in reward-directed behavior after introducing an occasional aversive contingency and to deficits in learning from aversive cues when responding for reward (Experiments 1-3). The BIS-mediated mechanism was related to a higher ability to extinguish aversive associations (Experiment I), a lower aversive generalization gradient (Experiment 3). and a lower interference with appetitive behavior in the presence of aversive stimuli (Experiment 4).