Riet Fonteyne
Papers
1
Total Citations
92
H-Index
1
About
Riet Fonteyne’s research lies at the intersection of pain neuroscience and behavioral learning, with a focus on how associative learning mechanisms drive pain-related fear and avoidance. Her most-cited work, “Acquisition and extinction of operant pain-related avoidance behavior using a 3 degrees-of-freedom robotic arm” (2016, 92 citations), provides compelling empirical evidence that avoidance—an overt behavior preventing painful stimuli—can be acquired and extinguished through operant conditioning. This study advanced the field by moving beyond traditional self-report and psychophysiological measures to directly observe and quantify avoidance behavior, offering a more nuanced understanding of chronic pain maintenance. Fonteyne’s contributions have significant implications for clinical interventions, suggesting that targeting avoidance behaviors may be key to breaking the cycle of pain-related disability. Her work is widely recognized for bridging basic learning theory with applied pain research, and she continues to influence how researchers and clinicians conceptualize the role of associative learning in pain chronicity.
Research Focus
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