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Detection of 60‐Hertz vertical electric fields by rats
Author(s) -
Sagan Philip M.,
Stell Mark E.,
Bryan Guy K.,
Adey W. Ross
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
bioelectromagnetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.435
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1521-186X
pISSN - 0197-8462
DOI - 10.1002/bem.2250080309
Subject(s) - electric field , physics , field intensity , standard deviation , acoustics , optics , mathematics , nuclear magnetic resonance , statistics , quantum mechanics
Rats were trained to press levers to indicate the presence or absence of 60‐Hz vertical electric fields at intensities from 0 to 27 kV/m (rms). The probability of detecting the field increased as the strength of the field increased. The shape of the detection curve (psychometric function) for most subjects ( Ss ) was similar whether the discriminative stimulus was the electric field or a tone. Two protocols were used to estimate the minimum field intensity necessary to detect the field ( Reiz Limen, RL ). The RL was estimated to be 13.3 kV/m (rms) when using one protocol (the staircase method) and 7.9 kV/m (rms) when using another protocol (the method of constant stimuli).