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The effects of change in lead stimulus modality on the modulation of acoustic blink startle
Author(s) -
Lipp Ottmar V.,
Siddle David A.T.,
Dall Patricia J.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/1469-8986.3760715
Subject(s) - habituation , stimulus (psychology) , psychology , moro reflex , facilitation , audiology , orienting response , second order stimulus , corneal reflex , attentional blink , reflex , visual perception , neuroscience , cognitive psychology , perception , medicine
In two experiments we investigated the effect of generalized orienting induced by changing the modality of the lead stimulus on the modulation of blink reflexes elicited by acoustic stimuli. In Experiment 1 ( n = 32), participants were presented with acoustic or visual change stimuli after habituation training with tactile lead stimuli. In Experiment 2 ( n = 64), modality of the lead stimulus (acoustic vs. visual) was crossed with experimental condition (change vs. no change). Lead stimulus change resulted in increased electrodermal orienting in both experiments. Blink latency shortening and blink magnitude facilitation increased from habituation to change trials regardless of whether the change stimulus was presented in the same or in a different modality as the reflex‐eliciting stimulus. These results are not consistent with modality‐specific accounts of attentional startle modulation.