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Description: Perception and perceptual memory are integral aspects driving stimulus fear generalization. Despite their significance, the dynamic interplay between these systems and their combined modulation of fear-related behavior remains largely unexplored. In this study, we investigate the intricate relationship between perception and perceptual memory in fear contexts through a classical differential conditioning experiment (N = 80). Our findings uncover that while the perception of fear contexts undergoes temporal fluctuations with a drift effect, its retention remains steadfast. This results in a disjunction between perception and perceptual memory. Intriguingly, this disjunction does not translate into observable effects on fear generalization behavior. Despite the majority of individuals demonstrating generalization in line with perceptual stimulus distances rather than physical ones, the inclusion of perceptual memory data in computing perceptual distance does not improve model performance. These results suggest a potential shift in the mapping of the perceptual memory component of fear context, occurring in tandem with the dynamic nature of perception. Overall, this work introduces an experimental and computational framework for the continuous exploration of how humans perceive and remember fear contexts, and how these mechanisms ultimately shape fear-related behavior.